The Art of Science
by Lacey52
Summary: The science of the situation isn't always what you expect, nor is it truely as unobtainable as you first think. AU and DxS. Second arc in the Arts Collection.
1. Hypothesis

_**The Art of Science**_  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Ah! Finally it's here and it only took me how freakin' long? Sorry about the wait guys, but I've got big news!

I got married! Yay...and insert huge smile here...but enough about that. ; )

Anywho, here's the first chapter and I do hope you all enjoy it, though it's a bit...oddly written I think, because I've been a bit out of it, as you might think, lol. Oh, and poke me when, not if, you find typos...

On a special side note: Denarius, from the bottom of my heart and the depths of my soul, I thank you. Your kind words in your review of AOC affected me deeply and I just wanted you to know how appreciated your thoughts on my writing and story were, and though I couldn't reply to you because you didn't leave an email, I thought it most appropriate to do so here. I only hope you read this chapter and see this message: Thank you.

To everyone else who has reviewed anonymously, my sincerest thanks to you. I only wish that I could respond to you all, as you've all been absolutely lovely to me!

Thank you, to all my reviewers for your continued support and patience. I love you all so very much and hope that you continue to enjoy my story. Nothing puts a smile on my face faster than knowing that I've made someone's day a little brighter with something I've written. Love to you all and now on with the story!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter One: Hypothesis**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"I hate Thursdays," Danny ground out as he slammed his locker open in the early morning emptiness of the hallway, "I hate them almost as much as I hate...having to do math homework, a paper for Lancer, having detention, and fighting ghosts."

"Since when did you hate Thursdays?" Tucker popped his head around the door of Danny's open locker, wondering at the fine mood that Danny seemed to be in, "As far as I knew, the only thing that you hated that was related to the calendar was Christmas, and you seemed to be getting over that..."

"Vlad is coming over for dinner tonight," a thermos appeared momentarily in Danny's hand, before it disappeared back into the mess his locker was rapidly becoming, "I'm still in hot water with my parents over our weekend escapades, Sam caught so much crap from her parents about Monday that I doubt she'll ever be allowed to so much as breathe in my direction again let alone answer her phone, and we have a wonderfully boring assembly this morning. What, I ask, could make my day any worse?"

"Tut, tut, Daniel," ice water ran down the back of Danny's neck as a shadow fell over the two teens standing in the hall, "Ask and you shall receive, isn't that one of those cliché lines that you're so fond of?"

"No way," the young man ground out as his head lowered even further in an attempt to keep his brightly burning, _green_ eyes from being seen by anyone else.

"My dear boy," Vlad heartily patted the halfa on his shoulder, a malicious smile turning up the edge of his mouth as he felt the youth tense to the point of shaking, "didn't you know that your dear Uncle Vlad would be giving today's lecture on the importance of getting, and keeping, a good job in today's society, even at so tender an age?"

"No clue," Danny took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, turning slowly as he did so to face a man he hadn't seen or talked to since he had defeated and forcefully split him, "I guess it's just my luck."

"Of course," Vlad nodded and congenially ruffled the boy's hair, then stepped back a few feet from the pair, "Don't tell me you're still suspicious of me. After all, what could I, a powerless, _rich_, old man do to you now to ruin your life?"

"You mean besides scar me for life by hitting on my Mom?"

"Danny?" Sam's voice came from the corner of the hall where she appeared, standing drenched head to toe yet again as she had been earlier that semester, a murderous look to her eyes as she marched up to him and spared Vlad not a glance, "I _thought_ you said Shadow'd forget in a week. I _thought_ you said he wouldn't care if Johnny didn't."

"I was, uh, wrong?"

"You think?" Sam pushed her wet hair off her damp forehead and tried to rearrange her soaked clothes, all without much luck before she realized that the man standing beside Danny was none other than Vlad Masters, owner and CEO of Axion Labs and the archenemies of her halfa, "Why...?"

"You know," Danny turned hard eyes to Vlad, scooting over so he more fully covered Sam and Tucker from the man's sight, "That's a really good question right now."

"Samantha E. Manson," the man bowed elegantly, offering her a kind smile as he straightened again, "So wonderful to finally have met you, though I'm sure you would have liked to meet me under more...dry conditions."

"Probably," the girl folded her arms and watched him wearily, "It's...nice to meet you too, Mr. Masters."

"Pleasure's all mine, I assure you," and he swept off without another word, leaving three very unsettled teens in his wake, though at the moment Danny could only focus on one minor detail.

"Samantha E. Manson?" he watched Vlad until he was around the corner, then turned in cute confusion to his newly acquired girl, "Emily? No, wait, Emile?"

"Not even close," Sam moved off with sigh, Danny following in her wake with a very amused Tucker in tow, "You should actually stop while you're ahead."

"How about Eustace?" Tucker helpfully added his own two cents, "Or Eugene."

"Those are boys' names," Danny jumped to defend Sam, only to lean around her to ask, "They're boys names, right?"

"Yes, they are," she pushed him away, moving a bit more towards Tucker, which put her a bit more towards her classroom which she was currently slipping inside, "And no, they aren't my middle name."

And the door closed right on Danny's nose, which set the boy to rubbing and his best friend to laughing, all while Sam kept her head down and headed to her desk, the girls in the room already talking about what they had just seen, 'Rumors, rumors, everywhere, and not a drop of truth to spare...'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Geeze, does the thermostat have to be set so low, or do teachers just like torturing their students?" Sam was in a fine mood, still wet from her second encounter with the fire hydrant and upset with the number of looks she was receiving because she'd shown up drenched for the second time on a perfectly cloudless day, 'This is ridiculous. Why is it me that the ghosts always seem to show up around or decide to pick on?'

"You know, you could always ask Mrs. Price if you could run down to the gym to change into your gym clothes," a girl to Sam's left answered her rather rhetorical question, though thankfully it was actually good advice for once, "She'll let you, I mean, your teeth are chattering."

"Thanks, I might do that," Sam ground out as she hugged her arms closer to her. She hadn't even bothered to bring her backpack with her to class as it too had been completely soaked, all books and papers effectively ruined. It was currently sitting in her locker, more than likely leaking all over her other items, 'Not like I can't replace them. I should go to the gym, but I really don't want to walk around school by myself when Vlad Masters is here. I know he doesn't have his powers anymore, but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous.'

"Good morning class," Mrs. Price, their third period math teacher began her morning monologue, only to pause and wait patiently as the tardy bell finished ringing, "As you know, this morning we have a special guest speaker and will be attending a lecture in the auditorium. You'll be pleased to know that it's Mr. Masters, owner and CEO of Axion Labs. The Business Club set up everything as part of one of their projects, and certainly did a wonderful job."

"Yeah," Sam mumbled under her breath, dreading the auditorium because it was always far colder in that particular building than anywhere else in the school, "Wonderful job. Let's applaud them."

"Alright, we'll go ahead and head down now, as I see several other classes are doing so," the teacher stood and walked to the door, "Straight to the auditorium and I expect you straight back here after we are done to either finish class or retrieve your items. I'm not sure how long this will take."

The class stood and began their journey out the door and down the hall, when Sam spotted Tucker and Danny standing off to the side waiting for her. Figuring this would be her last chance at dry clothes, the young woman hurriedly caught her teacher, a hand to her elbow to draw her attention, "Mrs. Price?"

"Sam," the older woman smiled down, "Honey, you're wet!"

"Yeah, I kinda' noticed," a wry grin split her lips as she let the sarcasm slip for a moment, "Do you think I could run down to the gym and change into my gym clothes? I'm freezing."

"Well," the teacher looked up the hall to where the students were migrating, then back down where the two boys stood waiting and raised an eyebrow, "Maybe I should come with you?"

"Um, it's not necessary...," she followed the teacher's gaze, and suddenly understood her reservations, "but I guess if you want to. I'm just gonna' run to the gym and I'm definitely not going to let those two go in with me."

A laugh sounded from where Tucker and Danny stood, the two boys relaxing against the lockers as they waited patiently for Sam to finish talking about whatever she was talking about. They were having their own conversation about the time Shadow had targeted Tucker, leaving him labeled Bad Luck Tuck for the rest of the school year. When Sam finally started to move towards them, Danny was the first up and walking towards her, "Ready to go to the oh so boring lecture my dear, old Uncle Vlad is giving, Ms. Drenched?"

"Oh ha ha," Sam continued past the two, with them turning to trail her almost automatically, "I'm going to the gym."

"I know you like to keep fit and all," Tucker shook his head as he wondered what was going on, "but I'd rather sit through Vlad's lecture than go to the gym."

"You don't have to go," Sam shrugged, then glanced back over her shoulder to see Mrs. Price walking behind them all, "besides, I've already got an escort and I'm just going to change into dry clothes. I swear, if I never see that ghost again it will still be too soon."

"Escort?" Danny turned and looked behind them, noting that the math teacher hadn't been walking to a different part of the school as he'd assumed, "So, the teacher's going with us?"

"With Sam," the woman gently corrected as she'd finally been acknowledged by the three, "You two should head back to the lecture before it starts."

The doors to the gym were just in front of them, and both boys turned to stand arms folded on either side, much to Sam's annoyance and the amusement of Mrs. Price. Sam simply folded her arms and gave them both a rather glacial glare before marching into the gym, noting that the door swung in so she needn't worry about hitting them as she came back out.

"We'll just wait here!" Danny called through the door, then turned back and sunk to sit on the floor, "Don't worry, she won't take that long. For a girl, she gets dressed faster than any boy I know."

"She even picked him up for the dance last week and had to wait like the guy usually does," Tucker laughed, for once deciding to wait on teasing Danny about what he'd said because of the teacher in front of them, "We won't be late Mrs. Price."

"I should hope not," she looked confusedly between the two boys, then to the doors they were mock guarding for their friend, "Sam has been your friend for a while now, correct?"

"Yeah," Danny shrugged, a small smile coming to his face, "I guess since about mid-semester. That's when she really started hanging out with us."

"I'm glad," the woman nodded, then took a step back as the doors started to open, "My, she does change fast."

"Comes with the territory of being a bit darker than your parents think is appropriate," Sam pulled self-consciously at the shorts she was in, feeling they were a bit short to be walking around school in for no other reason than to just wear them, "Can we just go to the auditorium? I put my clothes in the dryer down there, so hopefully they'll be done by the end of the lecture."

"To the auditorium!" both Tucker and Danny let out the cry, much the same way as they often did for the Nasty Burger and jumped to propel Sam forwards, Mrs. Price laughing silently to herself at their antics, "Here we go to see the _great_ Vlad."

"Wonderful," Sam repeated as they hurried down the hall, the two boys on either side of her providing a margin of warmth, "Just wonderful."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

As soon as they sat down in the last three seats available Danny drew in a deep breath and slung his arm over the back of Sam's seat, 'Not that comfortable, but not that bad either. Wonder if there's a chance Vlad will just cancel?'

"Good morning Casper High," Mr. Lancer's voice rolled out across the auditorium, "Please remember that when we have a guest speaker I would appreciate it if you were all on your best behavior, or you will be reorganizing the library for the rest of your high school careers after school with me. Let's give a hearty welcome to Mr. Vlad Masters, shall we?"

"Hurrah," Sam and Danny both let the word slip as a spattering of applause echoed across the teen filled room. Turning to look at one another, Danny grinned and Sam just blushed, and none of it went unnoticed by Tucker who was sitting on the other side of the girl.

"So on Monday when you said you talked," he looked them over, laughing as Sam pulled back from Danny and sunk lower into her seat, "You meant that you..."

"Tucker Foley," a teacher's voice came from their right, effectively cutting off the boy's teasing. Grumbling to himself about bad timing, but still smiling at the way the two were acting, Tucker figured he'd get off at least one more jib at the pair before settling down.

"Geeze, just messing with the lovebirds."

"Lovebirds?" Sam turned slowly to Tucker with murder in her eyes, Danny quickly sneaking his arm away lest it be damaged somehow from her wrath, "We are not lovebirds."

"Yeah," Danny pulled back even further, worrying that she just might actually give in and kill his other best friend, "You might not ever want to say that again, Tuck."

"Whatever you say, lovebirds."

"We're not lovebirds!" the double reply echoed through the now silent auditorium and several heads turned to find Danny Fenton and Sam Manson blushing and sinking further into their sits, unconsciously mimicking one another as they folded their arms. To everyone's amazement, Foley was laughing his head off and somehow still alive after so horrendously embarrassing the dark girl.

"Students," Vlad's voice finally appeared as did the man, a microphone in his hand as he walked out on the stage, "If we're quite done with the immature outbursts, let us start this morning's lecture. There will be plenty of time for girls later in life Daniel."

A wave of laughter washed over the gym and Danny sunk even lower, his mood darkening as he realized that Vlad was targeting him, 'Sure he doesn't have physical power, but he's always been good at mind games and putting me in awkward, not to mention embarrassing, positions. Damn the fruit loop!'

The rest of the lecture was spent in brooding silence for Danny, with Tucker and Sam looking on worriedly. Neither really knew how to lighten the mood at that moment, but Tucker was working out a plan. Danny wasn't going to have to face the man alone tonight if he could help it, and he was sure that Sam would agree.

Now they just had to finish out the lecture and hope that it wasn't too terribly boring.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Mr. Masters, please remember that you need to be at the Fentons' at seven thirty sir," Suzie's voice rang clearly through the speaker of his cell phone as he marched through the halls of the school, carefully avoiding the rush of students who were running desperately late to lunch because of his lecture, "Also, a Mr. Adrian King called to let you know that your shipment will be a half day late due to unavoidable circumstances. He left a return number."

"And how did you manage to get him to do that?" Vlad paused for a moment, letting several students with arms weighed down by books pass him by, "He never leaves a number by which I can contact him, even when asked politely."

"I have my ways, sir," the brunet's smile was evident in her tone, and Vlad let a chuckle slip at the young woman's generally playful, buoyant nature, "Would you like the number or would you like for me to return the call for you?"

"I'll do that later this afternoon, when I return to the hotel," the man nodded to himself, once again impressed with the young woman's skills and capabilities, "He's often fallen behind on shipping the orders that I need, and with the way Axion is growing, this is no longer acceptable. I'll be the one to tell him that his services are no longer needed."

"Yes, sir," Suzie answered, her voice sounding a little unsure about something as she asked a question of her own, "Um, Mr. Masters?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be a bad thing if I took the liberty of looking up a few new supplying companies for you, and chose a few of the best?"

"Not at all," a small smile spread across Vlad's face, "I'll review them as soon as I get out of this school and return. I trust you've already been told that arrangements have been made for my transportation this afternoon?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, I'll see you later," and he clicked his cell phone shut without a second thought, knowing that his latest addition to his staff had been a wise decision and smugly satisfied that he'd chosen her personally, 'Hand picked out of all the applicants, a college graduate wins and is the envy of thousands of people far more qualified, but lacking that certain something that Suzie has. Is it her innocent charisma or that wicked undertone that lets her claw her way into whatever she needs...perhaps both?'

"Ah, Mr. Masters," Edward Lancer was approaching rapidly from the doorway to his office, "It was an honor that you could come today to give your lecture to the students. I know that, personally, it was an insight into today's business world."

"I'm glad that I could be of service to these hallowed institution," Masters turned the phone over in his hand a few times, then placed it back into his pocket, thinking on how well his life seemed to be progressing, "Tell me, what do you make of young Daniel Fenton? I've been a friend of the family for years, known Danny for quite some time, but I would like another's opinion on the young man."

"Fenton," Lancer reflected for a moment, stroking his goatee as he thought the question over, "He is a talented young man if he would let it show. I've seen him ace a test after studying the material for only two or so hours, but he constantly maintains a C average. You, of course, know how bright his older sister is, and how incredibly talented both his parents are...it would appear that he is trying to break away from this to form his own sense of self."

"Perhaps," Vlad glanced around the halls, noting that they were nearly alone as the last few students scampered past, "Or perhaps he is just a teen with other things on his mind."

"Girls?" Edward Lancer questioned with a laugh, then nodded his head, "He does seem to have his fair share of girl problems at times, but no more so than any normal teenager. I believe your jibe in the auditorium embarrassed him quite enough in that area."

"Of course," he laughed as well, then frowned as he brought the conversation back into more serious territory, "Is he a trouble maker? Daniel has always had a bit of a Puck-ish sense about him, though in a clever way that has always made me interested in where his career goals have been oriented."

"Oh, Danny is a bit of a trouble maker in an odd way," a troubled look passed across the older man's face, "though sometimes I believe it is more of a ghostly influenced nature than the young man actually misbehaving. As far as career goals...at first the boy seemed very interested in NASA and anything to do with outer space...though it seemed to wane as this year progressed. He's not made mention of anything to his counselor, nor I, when I spoke to him of it."

"That is very interesting," Vlad nodded, understanding far more than he knew Lancer would about the 'ghostly influenced' happenings around Danny, "Well, I hate to cut this short, but I absolutely must run. Thank you again, Mr. Lancer."

"Oh, no," the men shook hands, "Thank you."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

The day had been boring. That was really the only way to put it, as the lecture had lasted nearly two and a half hours, much to the consternation of both students and staff. The teachers, however, seemed to get a great deal more out of it than the teens, and thus were determined to talk about the 'wonderful' visit for the rest of the day. Being drenched, having to wear her gym clothes around, and the aforementioned problems had been quite enough for Sam, with the only spot of light being the chance that she and Tucker would eat dinner at the Fentons' that night. Of course, she didn't exactly have a say in what went on in her life all the time...

"No," Sam shook her head and backed away from the small, greenish child in front of her, "I am _not_ going to play cowboys and Indians."

"Please?" the boy tried again, floating up to her level, "I promise I won't poke you again like I did in the hallway that time the jerk punched me. I'll even let you be the cowboy...um cowgirl if you want!"

"I can't," she shook her head, wondering just how unlucky she had to be to have two ghosts bothering her in one day, 'At least my clothes were dry by the end of that impossibly boring, not to mention long, self-glorifying lecture...'

"Why not?" Youngblood started to pout now, stomping his foot in the air as he questioned the girl, "Why can't you play with me? It'll be fun..."

"I can't because I have to meet my friends; I promised them I would and I don't want to break my promise," Sam tried to reason her way out of the small mess she was in, 'Tuck and Danny both said he was usually just a pest, but that he could be a bit dangerous. Maybe I should just play with him.'

"I want you to play with me, though," the little boy's eyes were starting to shine more brightly, a wicked frown settling over his face, "Forget the stupid human and the jerk halfa."

"They're my friends," she finally was getting fed up and any thoughts of playing along vanished at the insult to her boys. With folded arms Sam turned sharply and walked off, "I'm not going to play with a brat."

"I am not a brat!"

The crack resounded off the wall right beside her head and Sam jerked around and ducked just as another shot was fired off. The young ghost had a slingshot out and was firing odd looking marbles at her, leaving rather nasty burn marks on the wall where they hit. Taking a second to stare in disbelief at the boy who had just been begging for her attention, Sam quickly realized that the pest had turned dangerous just as she'd been warned. It didn't take much longer for her to start running.

'Gah!' the mental scream didn't really help her mood as she began to focus on her breathing, wondering just how long the young ghost would chase her before she was caught or he got bored, 'I'm not betting on the second one though 'cause chase was always a fun game when I was that young. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I don't want to shoot him.'

"Sam?"

"Can't talk, ghost, gotta' run," and she was gone around a corner as Jazz watched in slight amazement, seeing nothing actually pass her but feeling cold just the same. That was enough to get her moving as well, dropping her shopping bag where she stood to better give chase.

"Sam!" the girl was right in front of her now and dodging a blast of green from seemingly thin air, "Sam, what ghost is chasing you?"

"Youngblood," Sam took the chance to dodge to the side, twisting out the way of the small fingers trying to grab her, "I thought you knew all these ghosts?"

"I do, but I can't see him," Jazz pulled out her cell phone and prayed that her brother was actually carrying his for once, "You can only see him if you're a child yourself."

"I'm not exactly a child," Sam groused as she stood in a standoff with the small ghost, both glaring angrily at one another.

"Big kids count too," the little boy finally ground out, arms crossed over his chest in a pout while Jazz hurriedly whispered something about a friendly problem and she and Sam needing a visit, "Just because you're old doesn't mean you have to be old all the time. Old outside doesn't make you old inside."

"That's nice to know," the young woman had been edging her way towards Jazz, hoping that the girl would have something on her to help, "Jazz, don't you have _something_ we can use?"

"That's not fair!" Youngblood was growing more and more agitated, "You can't bring just let anybody play! We were the ones that were playing first."

"You were chasing me and trying to shoot me with exploding marbles!" Sam pointed an accusing finger at what looked like nothing, amusing Jazz even though the situation was serious, "That doesn't sound like playing to me, that sounds like trying to kill me!"

"What would be the point in killing you?"

He looked genuinely confused now, pulling back wearily as though the thought didn't quite fit somehow. Sam felt as though her jaw would drop in disbelief, 'One second he's trying to kill me, and now he looks like that was the last thing he wanted."

"You were shooting at me," the teen pointed out calmly again, Jazz watching her for any signs of distress as she seemingly talked the ghost down, "That seems like trying to kill me."

"I missed every shot," he was kicking the air now, as though ashamed of something, "I wasn't really aiming at you."

"It sure felt like it!"

"Felt like what?" a cool burst of air wrapped around Sam as Danny finally appeared, hovering just behind her and to the left between both girls, "He didn't actually hit you did he?"

"No!" the younger ghost sneered up at his competition, "I wouldn't hurt her, I just wanted to scare her a little."

"Then go scare someone else, you little brat," Sam was in no mood for ghostly posturing at that moment in time, "I've had a bad day, thanks to yet another ghost, and now you're shooting at me. Why did you even want to play with _me_ in the first place?"

"I...uh," Youngblood hovered slightly closer to her as he seemingly puzzled out the answer to her question, but as he came within arm's length of the young woman, Danny had decided that it was quite close enough and moved to stand behind Sam, his own arm coming up to push him back with a shield, "No fair! I didn't even do anything!"

"You can answer Sam from back there," the halfa ground out, shield still between the girl and the other ghost. Youngblood considered Danny's statement for a second, then looked down towards the concrete with a look of intense concentration on his features.

"I just...wanted to play with you," the child finally shrugged, looking up with eyes desperate for the girl to understand, "I don't know why, I just saw you and thought it would be fun to play a game with you. And I wasn't being a brat!"

"Alright," Sam nodded, tired of being stuck in the standoff and ready to head to the Fentons' for dinner, "You weren't being a brat; you just startled me. Next time, if you want to play, ask me first and don't get mad if I don't want to."

"So you'll play with me?"

The child had brightened immediately, making all three living beings wonder at his sudden change in mood where Sam was concerned. Jazz watched the young ghost carefully, noting his posture, the tone of his voice, his facial features and made notes to herself about everything that had occurred. Danny's fists clenched and Sam could feel the energy starting to gather around the boy behind her, causing the hair on her neck and arms stand on end. It wasn't a comfortable feeling for some reason, which worried Sam because it had never really bothered her before.

"Next time," Sam reminded him shakily, her tone as gentle as she could make it to appease both ghosts, "If I can. Alright?"

"Alright!" Youngblood did a small jump mid-air with his fist raised in victory, "I'll catch you later then."

"Wait a second!" Danny leapt into the air, thermos in hand, but it was too late, "You can't just run off."

"Apparently he can," Jazz mused, watching the tiny dot that was Youngblood disappear over the horizon, "Look on the bright side Danny; you didn't have to fight for once, and Sam is safe. Nothing happened and now we can all head home without any bruises or scratches for once."

"Joy," Sam crossed her arms as Danny landed, changing as he did so, "I have a play-date with a ghost."

"You could have a double play-date," Danny suggested, frowning as he watched the spot where the child ghost had disappeared to, "As in, I could be there too, just in case he decides to try something again."

"I think I can take care of myself, thanks," Sam was agitated, pulled between the fact that she probably couldn't take care of herself in such a situation, and her own stubborn pride which stung at the insinuation that she couldn't, "I'm a big girl, remember Danny?"

"I think he's just worried Sam," Jazz intervened, heading off any arguments or further comments for the moment, "Danny, we have a dinner to get to."

"So do I," Sam smiled tightly at them both, "I was on my way over to your house. Tucker said he talked to your mom and asked if we could come...as we're both such _huge_ fans of Mr. Masters."

"Really?" the grin that split Danny's face was blinding, and Sam had to admit whenever it was aimed her way she had butterflies racing in her stomach, "You're gonna' be there? Tuck too? You guys rock!"

"And I count for nothing?" Jazz loving hit the back of Danny's right shoulder, laughing at the puppy dog face she received for her efforts, "Come on you two, let's get home so we can get this dinner over with and Masters out of the house. I'll run back and get my bags, then catch up with you, alright?"

"Off we go then," and Danny started off with hands in his pockets, a tiny grin still clinging to his lips despite the evening's situation. Sam and Jazz both shook their heads and started off on their separate ways, knowing full well that the evening would be anything but pleasant.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Hello, Mrs. Fenton," Tucker's smiling face greeted Maddie on her front steps, a tiny grin tugging at her own lips in return, "You don't mind a poor, wayward, desperately hungry boy standing in front of your door begging for a few scraps do you?"

"It might be better," she tilted her head in amusement in a gesture to usher the boy inside, moving to the left to let him enter, "if you came in and actually had dinner, that way you wouldn't be so hungry. Danny should be back soon, Tucker, he got a phone call from Jazz to come and help him carry her shopping bags home. I just hope she didn't buy as much as I think she did."

"I'm sure she didn't," Tucker followed the older woman towards the kitchen, where several pots on the stove were merrily boiling away, and the heavenly smell of roast was making its way from the oven, "And I sure can't wait for dinner."

"It's almost done," Maddie bustled over the range top stove, stirring a pot on her left and putting a lid on the pot to the right, "Why don't you grab a snack and wait for Danny in the living room?"

"We're home and we brought a Sam!"

"Or I could go and help Jazz with her stuff and laugh at Danny for having to walk home with those two."

Watching Tucker fondly as he left the kitchen and headed for the front door, Maddie silently sent a thank you heavenwards. Danny was happier than he had been for the past year, and though she desperately wanted to attribute that to normal teenage problems, something had felt very different about his moody bouts of silence and depression. Having another friend, who just so happened to be a girl he was romantically inclined towards, seemed to be doing the trick and dragging him back to the happy boy she knew so well.

The roast was smelling better and better, and with a glance to the clock Maddie pulled it out, piping hot and ready to be eaten. Dinner would be served in ten minutes, which would be just enough time to set everything on the table. The only question now was as to the location of their guest of honor.

'He's so punctual,' Maddie fretted to herself over the bowl of mashed potatoes she was whipping butter into, 'I'm sure Vlad's fine though, and if he's late it won't hurt anything but the boys' appetites. And Jack's, but I'm sure he'll forgive Vlad for that.'

"Maddie, baby!" Jack's voice broke through her thoughts at that and a smile broke across her lips, "I'm home and look who I found walking up to the door!"

"Vlad," a warm smile greeted her as she rounded a corner, drying her hands on a dishtowel and ignoring four scathing looks towards the man from the adolescents in the living room, "Welcome back, I'm so glad that you could get away to visit. Welcome home, Jack dear."

"Smells great, baby," Jack planted a quick kiss on her lips, then moved off towards the stairs, "I'll be right back down, I just need to wash up for dinner."

"It does smell wonderful Maddie," Vlad nodded once, then turned towards the kitchen without casting any longing glances towards the woman, without insulting Jack in any way, and without saying anything to Maddie that her children would consider inappropriate, "Dinner is about ready?"

"Of course," she nodded, moving to follow the man and set the food on the table, "Kids, either wash up or come in here. We'll start when Jack gets back down."

"Is it just me," Danny turned towards his sister, a frown of confusion on both their faces, "or did Vlad act kinda'..."

"Normal?" Jazz supplied the word, then moved forward, shaking her head slightly, "Come on, we might as well get something to eat if we can. Is the pizza guy still on speed dial?"

"Yep," Danny grinned, ushering his two friends towards the kitchen, "Just in case it's hostile."

"Please don't let it be hostile," Tucker was repeating this under his breath, causing Sam to chuckle quietly to herself, "Oh please, oh please, oh please..."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Daniel," Vlad made sure to sit himself in the chair that was directly next his own, though it was odd that he'd also placed himself between the halfa and Jack instead of between his mother and father, "Did you enjoy the lecture this morning?"

"It was...informative?" the young man shrugged his shoulders as he sank to sit beside the older man, not sure as to how the dynamics between them had changed if they had at all. Sam quickly filled in the spot to Danny's right, Tucker beside her, then Jazz beside him. It was a tight fit around their table, but with his friends and family there to buffer Vlad's presence, it almost seemed cozy.

"Ah, V-man, you went and talked at Danny's school today?" Jack had lumbered in, planting himself in his chair and unfolding his napkin into his lap in eager anticipation of his wife's meal, "How'd that go?"

"Surprisingly well, actually," Vlad turned politely to talk to his old college friend, surprising Danny and Jazz, "The students were a bit rambunctious at first, but they settled quickly. A few even seemed to enjoy it, though I think they were among those who invited me to speak."

"Well, I think it's just wonderful that you have the opportunity to influence those young minds," Maddie set the last of the dishes of food on the table and hurried to her chair, motioning for everyone to dig in, which they did with gusto, "Just think, after all the times we all ditched lectures in college, now you're the one giving them."

"Do you remember the time we went to the burger joint on campus to skip our teacher's lecture and ended up staying there so long he actually walked in and caught us?" Jack was roaring with laughter, Vlad joining in, though not as loud, and Danny moved back, bumping shoulder's with Sam. Unfortunately, Sam had been serving herself a batch of rather volatile carrots who didn't appreciate the jostling and immediately sprung up to attach themselves to her arms and legs.

A quiet squeak was all that announced that it had happened, and Danny reacted quickly turning to grab Sam's knee under the table and quickly turn her intangible. It got the carrots off of her, but also made her drop the spoon which she held. The resulting clatter made the rest of the table turn to find the table covered in angry carrots, a blush settling over Sam's face because of Danny's hand, and Danny trying to fight back one particularly aggressive carrot with his fork.

More laughter from the two men followed these events, prompting Maddie and Jazz to act in lieu of the men folk, "Danny, hon, just keep that carrot there, and Sam scoot back if you could sweetie."

"I got it," Jazz scooped one up, setting it back into the deep bowl they had originally been in, "And here's another one!"

"I got a couple," Tucker flipped three back into the bowl, grinning as he did so at getting to play with his food. Danny on the other hand, wasn't having much luck and eventually resorted to stabbing the carrot with his fork and quickly eating it, grimacing as it wiggled around his mouth, "Tasty?"

"Only when they don't wiggle all the way down your throat," the halfa replied, stabbing another one which immediately went limp, "Stupid carrots, no wonder I never liked these things."

"Alright," Maddie reached out to take the bowl and quickly fired several rounds at the food, settling the carrots down as well as everyone else, "It's all taken care of, so if you want some carrots Sam, you can get some. If anything else is aggressive, we'll take care of it before we try to eat it, right Danny?"

"Sure Mom," the halfa winced, noting that Vlad had turned adoring eyes towards his mother...or were those just admiring eyes. Either way, Danny was sure he didn't like it and was about to say something when Vlad turned to his father and patted him heavily on the back.

"You've a wonderful wife, Jack," he smiled congenially and turned back to his food, "A fighter and a cook, what more could a man ask for?"

"Did he just?" Jazz had leaned in towards Tucker, who knew well how Vlad usually reacted to Maddie. Tucker simply nodded and continued to eat. The rest of the meal passed in easy conversation between the three adults and a confused and awkward silence between the four children.

'Maybe we didn't all have to be here after all,' Tucker continued his silent observation, as did the rest of his friends, 'Then again, maybe he's just on his best behavior for some reason and we should stick around after dinner for a while. I don't get it...'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"I don't get it," Jazz watched from the window as Maddie and Jack said goodbye to their old friend, who was apparently walking back to his hotel that night and wouldn't take their offers to drive him back into consideration, "Tonight was just weird, and so completely un-Vlad-like. All of my studies have indicated that he's obsessed with my Mom, that he's not the type of man to give up his obsessions..."

"Danny did split him," Sam glanced between the ranting girl and the boy who was changing into Phantom and stepping through the wall to escort Vlad home, 'The better to ensure that he isn't up to anything. I just hope Danny's careful.'

"True," Jazz nodded, then turned towards Tucker, "Do you think that would explain why Vlad didn't hit on Mom tonight?"

"Danny said that Plasmius, the one locked up downstairs, was more obsessed than usual with your mom," Tucker shrugged, moving to stand beside the window as well and watch as Danny revealed himself to Vlad, "Maybe the human Vlad just isn't interested..."

"Because it wasn't part of the personality that he was split into," Jazz suddenly finished Tucker's sentence and nodded to herself, "That almost makes sense."

"Who knows?" the boy leaned back in Danny's computer chair, stretching his arms far over his head and letting out a yawn, "We'll just have to see. With all the possible outcomes it's hard to tell exactly what's going on...just too hard to predict."

"No use worrying over it I guess," Sam settled herself on the floor, leaning against Danny's bed and hugging a pillow to her chest, "You three are experienced in this, and I'm just along for the ride for right now. Vlad didn't seem overly concerned with anything past eating dinner with his friends and their family...and the two tag alongs. Let's put on a movie or something and just wait until Danny gets back."

"Sounds like a plan," Jazz shrugged and settled herself much as Sam had while Tucker moved to pick out a movie and put it on, "I hope he gets back soon."

"He will," Tucker smiled and pushed play, then made his way to sit between the two girls, playfully teasing them about getting to sit between the two beautiful women. They settled down to wait, and hoped to themselves that everything was as fine as they were making it out to be.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Danny, when the normal air temperature is about seventy and a person is constantly feeling like they're in a meat locker, it is not hard for one to figure out that a ghost is around them," Vlad paused under a street light a few blocks away from the Fenton household, "And considering the circumstances, Danny Phantom is probably the only ghost who would be tailing me."

"Yeah, well, you can't exactly blame me Vlad," Danny appeared to his right, standing far enough away to be safe. It was apparent that he'd been walking along with the older man, escorting him invisibly, "Things haven't exactly been normal tonight, and when things aren't normal it means you're planning something. The five people I care the most about are all in one place. I'm antsy, so sue me."

"My boy, let me tell you at this moment, so we may no longer have to have this particular discussion, I am no longer interested in you or your mother or your father in the way I was before," Vlad was looking Danny in the eye the entire time, making the boy more unsure of the situation.

"But you're still interested."

It was a blunt statement, and had Vlad raising an eyebrow and giving a wry grin, "So astute, Little Badger."

"So what do you want? You didn't just come to dinner to have dinner. You never do," the young halfa stood in Vlad's path now, arms folded and floating a good foot and a half above the sidewalk, "And why are you _walking_ home?"

"I am walking because I fear with my recent lack of ghostly abilities, I've found that I exercise rather less than I should," a quick glance down to his midsection left Danny feeling slightly entertained, "As for what I want, Danny, it will take some time for that to unfold. Fortunately for you, it is of a rather less violent manner than before."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny wasn't sure what he was feeling at that moment, torn between elation that Vlad seemed to be telling the truth, and weary distrust of the man who had always acted so selfishly before.

"It means what you want it to at this moment," the man turned and continued on his way, "Go home, boy, you're family and friends are safe. I'm just a rich, old man who's gaining weight and a sudden sense of mortality that has been missing for several years."

And with that Vlad turned and walked off leaving Danny floating in the deserted street, lit only by the soft glow of the aged lamppost. Thoughts were rushing through him, confused and muddled and making too little sense, and Danny was just ready to go home as he was told.

This, he told himself, would be the only time he would willingly do as Vlad ordered. This and no other.


	2. Mass

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Things are starting to get a bit…ahem…heavier, or maybe lighter. And please, don't pardon the bad pun…I seem to have taken a liking to them for some strange, sad reason.

Um, so I made Danni, the clone of Danny, younger in this story. Just so you know. When Danny was fourteen, she was eight. Danny is now around sixteen, so that makes her…do the math…yes! Ten. Very good.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Two: Mass**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

After much laughter, thoughtfulness, over eating of junk food and over imbibing of soda, worrying, conjecturing, teasing, thinking, hoping, denying, and all the other normal, ruckus behaviors displayed by teenagers worldwide Sam and Tucker decided it was time to head home.

That had been at eleven thirty, and it had taken another hour before Jazz left Danny to the peace of his own bedroom. Add in the fact that the boy still had an hour's worth of homework, and was constantly distracted by the call of his computer, it was at three thirty that the boy's head finally met happily with his pillow.

The alarm, in Danny's opinion, came far too early and made far too much noise. Destroying it had been his only option. It was even worth the lecture from the sister, who had so _thoughtfully _burst into his room, on saving money by being less aggressive towards inanimate objects.

Dressing quickly, the boy hopped down the stairs in twos, snagging a piece of toast from Jazz as he often did and sticking his tongue out at the pout she displayed. Today, he felt good, and no strange evening spent in the presence of Vlad from the night before could ruin it.

For today…today was _the_ day, and it was that sort of silly giddiness that could only be achieved by the overly optimistic that was going to get him in trouble.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Morning," Sam glumly got out as she found an all too bright Danny standing beside her locker, "Now stop grinning like a fool, so my current bad mood can continue to permeate the air around me and influence all who dare approach at this particular moment of my life."

"Ooookay," Danny's smile immediately fell, the boy puzzling out what could have put her in such a bad mood, "Parents again?"

"You think?"

The reply was immediate, sarcastic, and probably far more bighting than Sam had meant. Slamming her locker open, the young woman hastily hid her face and the blush spreading across it. She hadn't meant her statement to sound so harsh at all, 'Great, now he probably thinks I'm PMSing or something. Here, just stick your head in my locker and let me slam it a few times, you'll probably think I'm an even better person then…'

"Sam?"

"What?" and she sounded so tired right then, a deep breath making her small frame all the more apparent at his side, "I'm sorry Danny, I'm not upset with you. I'm not trying to be grumpy or anything."

"It's fine. I guess this morning was exactly good, huh?" Danny wasn't quite sure what he could do for Sam at that moment, as she calmed herself down and started sorting out her needed supplies and books for the first half of her day. The gentle lilt to his voice seemed to help though, as violet eyes turned upwards and the tiniest of smiles started to form on her face.

"Not exactly," she closed her locker softly then, turning the combination knob even though she had no reason to do so, "It was just another silly something between my parents and me though, no real big deal. I just blew it out of proportion."

"You don't blow things out of proportion usually, and you don't have to apologize," the boy chastised gently, taking a book from her left hand and leaning his shoulder against her own, "Things happen, and I don't mind. Just don't try to suck me into a thermos and we'll be fine."

That got Sam laughing, and though it was only a tiny chuckle, it was better than nothing in Danny's eyes. Slipping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her into a quick side hug, smiling gently down at her when she snuggled further into his side, face against his shoulder. The moment, it appeared, was perfect and just as Danny opened his mouth his line of thinking was corrected.

"Oh no, loser love," Dash walked down the hall, rapidly approaching the pair at the lockers, ignoring the death glares that both were sending his way, "C'mon, Fen-ton, open your locker so I can stuff you in it."

"Get a life outside of tormenting those who are brave enough to turn the other cheek, Dash," Sam pulled back, all spit and fire again as she found someone who she actually didn't mind tearing into, "You obviously have serious personal image problems if you have to constantly shove people into lockers to make yourself feel good."

"What's it to you?" Dash pulled his eyes from his favorite target to stare down at the much smaller girl, "Shouldn't you be setting off fire alarms and stealing frogs, or out freeing the animals at the zoo?"

"Shouldn't you be beating yourself senseless trying to move a ball from one end of the field to the other?"

"Shouldn't we all be getting to class and ending our petty quarrels?"

And that was how Tucker found himself the recipient of two horrifyingly angry glares, a pissed off Sam, and how he came to be intimately acquainted with the inside of locker three-oh-seven.

"Guys?" Tucker's voice sounded strange from the inside of the locker, making Danny shake his head with knowing pity, "Danny? C'mon, dude, you're my best friend, you can't just leave me in here!"

"Relax," a hand appeared as the bell was ringing, pulling him out into the empty hall with his halfa best friend, "Had to wait until everyone left. Guess you'll get detention today too."

"Make that three," Sam's head reappeared from around the corner, "Hurry up, I only stuck around because I felt kinda' bad."

"You're a real friend," Tucker rubbed the small of his back gingerly.

"Fenton! Manson!" Lancer's voice echoed in the empty hallway, "Foley? No matter, it appears that your friends' bad habits are rubbing off. Detention, all three of you."

Three 'Yes sir's' later found them all in their proper classrooms, hoping that their day would pass quickly. For Danny, lunch couldn't arrive soon enough.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Um, excuse me, I'm looking for my cousin."

"Like I would know who your cousin is."

A locker slammed, several students laughed at something down the hall, and a pair of teenagers kissed their goodbyes, one heading for lunch, the other for a class. Blue eyes watched it all, rolling ever so often at such public displays of affection or the bumbling of a gangly youth. In truth though, sympathy bled through for those who were a bit more clumsy, having not yet adjusted to growing and changing bodies.

'I know what that feels like,' a heavy sigh echoed her thoughts, and once again she set off, looking for at least one kind person, "Um, hey, I'm looking for my cousin."

'Wow,' the thought drifted across her mind as violet eyes were cast her direction, reminiscent of the eyes of a woman she had seen only once or twice, 'Her eyes…purple…'

"What's your cousin's name?"

"Oh, Danny. Danny Fenton," she quickly tucked her hands into her pocket, a little unsure of the person in front of her. Something about this person was different. Something about this person was making a lasting mark on her for no apparent reason, and it was starting to weird her out, 'And considering my life, that's pretty hard to do.'

"I eat lunch with him," Sam looked around, confused as to why such a young girl would be allowed to wonder the halls of Casper High unescorted, "Is there anything wrong?"

"Not really," the girl shrugged, then looked around the hall, "So which way to where Danny is?"

"Down this way," Sam started off, the girl walking at her side with hands still in her pockets. She bounced as she walked, Sam noticed, her head constantly turning this way and that as though she was taking everything around her in, 'She walks kinda' like Danny, and you can definitely see the family resemblance…wait a second…'

"This is the cafeteria?" they were through the doors before Sam even realized where she was, Danny's cousin bouncing excitedly on the balls of her heels and scanning the room, "Danny!"

'He's been spotted,' Sam thought wryly as she followed after the suddenly very happy little girl, 'Hope he doesn't mind the surprise, especially if that is who I think it is.'

"Danni?"

The shocked look on the boy's face was priceless and he barely had enough time to drop the sandwich he was eating before the younger girl jumped into his arms, hugging him for all she was worth, "I can't believe how old you look now!"

"Hey," Danny stood with her still tenaciously, literally, clinging to his neck. His hands were on his hips as he lifted his face up and away from child, "It's been like a year since I saw you…I'm not that much older."

"But you look older," she pointed out innocently, finally getting tired of hanging from his neck and dropping lightly to the floor, "and I do too."

"That usually happens," Danny laughed and sat back down, patting the seat beside him in invitation for his 'cousin' to join him, "How you been kiddo'?"

"Alright," she was glancing hungrily towards Danny and Tucker's trays when Sam slid her own lunch box over towards the girl, "Um…"

"It's cool," Tucker smiled, and continued his eating, a light smile on his face from the scene that Danni and Danny had caused. He winked to the young girl as he made his last statement to make sure she knew that Sam was included, "Sam's a pretty cool person and she _knows_ a lot."

"She walked me here," Danni offered, glancing towards her counterpart as though still unsure. In a conspiratorial whisper that was just a little too loud, she offered a second sentiment, "She has really pretty eyes."

"I know," Danny whispered back, blushing slightly and causing Sam to blush, "I'm pretty sure her food is safe."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I have plenty of money to go buy a lunch…actually, how about I go buy a lunch and you eat it and that way I get to keep my lunch," Sam pulled her lunch box back towards herself, "You probably wouldn't like a no meat menu."

"I can get it," Danni stood, then frowned, "but I don't want to take your money…"

"You could always work for it," Tucker pointed out through a mouthful of food, "Do Sam a favor, think of it as a trade."

"It's cool, Sam," Danny nodded towards the line, "Danni can go buy something, and she'll pay you back, right?"

"Definitely," Sam handed over a twenty, "Buy whatever you want, you look half starved."

"I am," and with that, the twenty was gone and so was Danni, "I didn't just get robbed did I?"

"Would you loan me twenty dollars?" Danny pointed out sarcastically, a pointed look crossing his face.

"So I was right," Sam took a bite of lettuce, enjoying her homemade salad for all it was worth, "That would be the infamous Danielle, clone of one Danny Phantom Fenton. My money is safe."

"Probably not," Tucker laughed, watching as Danni balanced two trays on her way back, "She eats Danny out of house and home when she visits. And last time he had to explain why the cousin that neither of his parents knew about was over and why she looked like a little girl version of Danny."

"That was fun," Danni sat herself down, greedily stuffing a roll into her mouth and talking around it as best she could, "I remember that Jazz nearly fainted when you told her who I was. Then your mom was running around with that turkey breast and your dad was yelling about two ghosts in the house and kept checking if Jazz was possessed. It was great!"

"Good," Danny watched her fondly, then turned to Sam, "Thanks for getting her in here…and for the food. Me and her are a lot alike and…well, food is the quickest way to a Fenton's heart."

"You should write that down Sam," Tucker teased, causing Danni to look up with an impish grin. It appeared that they were two alike when it came to teasing, and Sam got the feeling that she was going to be in a great deal of trouble where that was concerned.

"So…anyways," Danny quickly changed the subject, "What are you doing back in Amity, and where have you been?"

"Oh, just…around," Danni shrugged and resumed eating, "Can I tell you later…about why I'm…why I'm here?"

"Whatever," the older halfa shrugged, returning to his meal as did his friends, "but it'll have to be later tonight."

"Why," Danni was quick to round on him, "Got a hot date?"

"Hopefully," he answered quietly so that only Danni might hear, with a smirk and a glance in Sam's direction, "I still haven't gotten to ask her though…"

"Better hurry up, big shot," Danni teased, "You always were slow about stuff like that…"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"So, you're sure they're not just twins separated at birth, with one held in a cryogenic stasis or something?" Sam pondered as she watched the two argue back and forth.

"Relatively," Tucker laughed his answer, "I mean, those two are a little too much alike, in a clone-ish sort of way…"

"Right," Sam went back to her salad, "because that's not weird at all."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

It was a nice evening, with the sun melting behind a few clouds and a cool wind blowing across Amity Park. The temperature had settled at a comfortable seventy or so degrees and the humidity was, for once, low. Almost nonexistent really which was a good thing considering how wacky his hair was normally. Add in humidity, and well…it was a spiky nightmare.

Marching alone down the street towards Sam's house was a miracle in and of itself with Danni back again. Between her hovering around school and periodically causing minor havoc in his classes, and the detention that he and his other two friends had to serve he'd had no alone time with Sam to ask her out that evening. He was currently correcting that.

'Alright, here I am,' Danny stood facing the door, gearing up the nerve to knock and hoping with everything in him that tonight wouldn't be one of those rare times that one of the actual Manson's answered the door, 'With the exception of Sam…or the elusive grandma that I've yet to really meet…'

"Good evening Mr. Fenton, shall I let Ms. Manson know you're here?" a butler that he'd never really met, but seen around often, greeted him at the door, a knowing smile on his face at Danny being out of his normal 'visiting' clothes and in a rather more 'date' sort of attire, "Perhaps I should warn her to get out of her pajamas?"

"She's in her pajamas already?" Danny followed the man inside and up the stairs, waiting patiently outside the door as the butler announced his presence, "It's like, five, why would anyone be in their pajamas?"

"Because I jinxed myself," Sam mumbled as she appeared at her door, shooing the butler away with a smile and standing unashamedly in shorts and a tank top that would never have been allowed in school, "Trust me, you really don't want to know."

"After school ghost problems?" Danny stood still outside her door, watching her as she sank against the doorframe and folded her arms, nodding 'yes' in response, "Any clue who?"

"Just my favorite eight or nine year old cowboy slash astronaut slash pirate," Sam brought a hand up to her face, rubbing at the bridge of her nose between her eyes, "He just wanted to play, and I didn't and he decided to trash my room. I just finished getting it cleaned about ten minutes ago and took a shower."

"Oh, so I guess that this would be a not so great night to ask you on a first date, huh?" Danny's hand had quickly found its way to the back of his neck as the boy shied away from the girl in front of him, ready to head home and let her have her peace for the night.

"A date?"

It sounded as though she'd not really expected that word out of his mouth, and for some reason it amused Danny. Sam was such an enigma at times; cool and collected, but somehow sweetly unsure of herself, 'Probably because she'd never had close friends. I was lucky I had Tuck…I would've never survived as long as Sam had.'

"You're serious?" Sam asked Danny, an incredulous tone to her voice that just amused the boy all the more. A smirk and a raised eyebrow informed Sam of this, "Right. Where are we going?"

"Um…I hadn't thought that far ahead," Danny admitted, hoping that she wouldn't tease him too much for that small fact, "Maybe dinner and a movie?"

"Going for traditional, are we?" Sam smirked then stepped back into her room, "I was wondering why you were dressed different from when we were at school. I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay," Danny smiled, surprised and pleased that it had gone so well, 'Maybe I'll make her day a little better. We haven't gotten to go on a date, so this will be good. I mean we went up on the hill and have hung out, but we've never had a da-'

His thoughts were stopped, however, when Sam stepped through her door, barely a minute after she'd shut it. Granted she was still holding her shoes in one hand and had a hairbrush in the other, but the skirt she had on was displaying her legs nicely, and the top was not her normal tank top. She wore skirts and tank tops all the time, but this was different. A black and white skirt, with a striped black and white shirt. Long sleeves, but a neckline that dipped over one shoulder, and very eighties like.

"I like the, um, the wrist cuff thingy," Danny pointed tried to stay on neutral ground, smiling like a fool even while doing so, "You look nice…um, really nice. Pretty."

"We went to a dance, and you think I look nice like this?" Sam eyed him carefully, "This is just…," she shrugged not really knowing what to say, "Normal, everyday clothes."

"You don't look everyday in them Sam," the boy was having a harder time focusing now, and wasn't sure that he was keeping his eyes in the right place, "Um…you ready to go?"

"Ready," Sam nodded, then looked down to her feet, "Um…almost ready."

"Take your time," Danny laughed and leaned against the wall, "We've got all night."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"You know, dates would be a whole lot easier if I didn't have this little, reoccurring problem," Danny sighed as blue shimmered before him for a moment. He was currently seated next to Sam at the local restaurant, which was a definite step up from eating at the Nasty Burger, and not at all ready to go deal with a ghost, "Sam, I'm…"

"No worries," she smiled and waved him off, "I'll cover for you. Dad in the hospital and a cell phone on waiting for news, etcetera. If you're not back in ten though, I'm ordering the most expensive thing on the menu and waiting for you to get back to pay."

"Talk about incentive," the boy mumbled and laughed, then stood and headed out, rounding the corner and changing just as he heard a scream from inside the restaurant, "And that is my cue."

Popping his head in for a quick survey of the place, Danny watched as people scrambled to get out of the restaurant, shoving and pushing, even stepping on people who had fallen to the ground. Jazz's lesson on 'mob mentality' came quickly back and he changed his scanning; looking for Sam instead of the ghost.

'Where is she?' he phased through the wall and began to search among the flipped tables and injured people. Some had ugly burn marks that Danny knew from experience to be ectoplasmically caused, and it reminded him he should be paying attention to his surroundings, 'She's tough, and smart…she's fine…I need to find the ghost, so focus Fenton.'

"Danny!" a girl's voice cut through his thinking and he hit the ground, feeling the heat of something pass over his head and singe his brow. Looking up found himself face to face with Danielle, her feet glowing slightly green as she shot off a few rays towards his enemy, "It's that stupid Skulker guy and I was just walking around town and then I couldn't get him to leave me alone, and I know you're on a date but I didn't know what else to do!"

"Got it," Danny popped up and grabbed her, turning around to put up a shield just in time as the hunter launched a rocket, "Danni, you find Sam and get her out of here…head back to the house and get Jazz to put up the ghost shield. I'll deal with Skulker alright? And no more powers or Sam'll be carrying you in a bottle…"

"I can fight!"

"Sure," Danny shot off a blast and dodged another shot, "but you still owe Sam that favor for the money this afternoon, and what better way to pay her back than by keeping her safe, right?"

The pair stared at one another for a second, giving Skulker enough time to close in tighter, blasting Danny back towards the kitchen, "Distracted tonight, aren't we child? Mating season does that to the best of prey…"

"Hey," Sam shot up from behind a table, "I really resent what you're insinuating, you jerk. You have no right to…"

Danni had shot up and was at her side in an instant as Skulker suddenly looked her way. Expending a bit more energy than she should have, Danni managed to get them both safely outside through the wall and then through two more buildings as Danny started paying more attention to his fight. It was in an alleyway that Danni collapsed, Sam worriedly watching as her legs started to melt into a green goo.

"Danni?" Sam was digging for her phone, hoping that Tucker would know something, "Danni, what's wrong, are you alright?"

"I'm okay," she was holding her head in her hands, and it gave Sam time to look over the young girl. White hair, green eyes, and a black and white jumpsuit. In all, the perfect clone with the exception of her gender; if Sam hadn't known better, she would have thought she was looking at Danny's child.

"Come on Tucker…," Sam was listening to the phone ring, praying that the boy would be able to help her. Danni had different plans, and phased the phone from Sam's hold and quickly turned it off, "What did you do that for?"

"'Cause if Tucker finds out he'll tell Danny and I'll be in big trouble!" Danni took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and forced her legs to reform before turning herself back into a human, "We have to get home, okay?"

"Fine," Sam stood and started to walk with the young girl, only to turn and look back, 'I could have sworn…'

Shaking her head, she decided that it was no time to second guess what was happening. With a battle royal happening just down the street, Danni feeling weak, and her date getting ruined, Sam was sure she didn't just want to stand around looking into dark alleys. It would definitely be best to just get home, like both Danni and Danny had wanted.

"Here," Sam stopped the girl and kneeled in front of her, "Piggy back ride."

"I…," but she was too tired to argue, and as soon as Sam hoisted her light frame onto her back, she was out. Sam just hoped she could make it to the Fentons' without something happening.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

One last hit sent Skulker flying into the building across the road from him, giving Danny enough time to bring out the thermos, "Never leave home without one, eh Skulker?"

"Wha-," but it was too late for any witty retorts and Danny thanked his lucky stars for that. The thermos was capped and the young man wiped sweat off his forehead, carefully avoiding a rather stinging cut that had come from flying debris.

'Alright, now that that's done and I've ruined another street, maybe the council will start to listen to me about dangerous ghosts,' the boy looked up and down the street, then changed back. His hand was quickly in his pocket to retrieve his cell phone; he called city services first to make sure that an ambulance was on its way for the injured people, then called home and learned that Sam had not yet arrived with Danni.

Danny broke into a run and didn't even bother to answer his sister before hanging up. If she hadn't managed to make it back to his house in the twenty minutes it took him to fight Skulker, then something had gone wrong, 'They're fine…maybe Danni just overworked herself…stupid girl…they're fine.'

The phone in his pocket was going off again, perhaps the third time since he'd hung up on Jazz, and he finally gave in and snapped it open, "What Jazz? I'm kinda' busy!"

"For one, I'm not Jazz, and for another I don't care how busy you are, you better get your butt over here now, Danny!"

"Sam?"

"Yes, Sam, the girl who's been calling you for the past ten minutes," he heard her gulp in air, a tell tale sign that she was running. A cackle of laughter sounded over the phone just as Sam gasped, and Danny's heart clenched, "I'm about a block from your house, please hurry up!"

"I'm coming," and the phone was off again and he was in the air, changing as he went and not caring if anyone saw anything, 'I'm coming…but where are you? A block from my house…'

He was there in less than a minute and started circling his house and heading out. One block over to the west of his house, Sam was sprinting down a busy street with a sleeping Danni on her back. Swooping in, he couldn't help but smirk as Sam's face lit up. It also didn't hurt that people were cheering his sudden appearance as well.

"Need a lift?"

"Stop with the clichéd lines you've already used to impress me once and take Danni," she slid to a stop, handing the girl off and then taking off again when a laughing boy rounded the corner after them, "Come on Youngblood, I promised I'd play, so let's go!"

"Youngblood?" he watched the laughing boy, confused beyond measure at that moment and called after Sam to let her know, "I thought you were in trouble!"

"No, she was just getting heavy!" and with that Sam was around another corner, the child ghost hot on her heels.

"What?" the halfa looked down at his clone, surprised that she was still asleep, "You really pushed yourself didn't you kiddo?"

"Danny Phantom!" a girl was suddenly at his side, and a crowd of people were heading his way, "What was that about? Oh my God, would you sign my shirt, I have a pen somewhere!"

"Um…I have to get this girl home," he looked down at the sleeping child in his arms and began to fly, leaving the citizens alone on the sidewalk, "Have a nice…safe, and um, ghost free night!"

Looking down over the city, Danny watched as a small black and white dot that was Sam made her way around another block and began to head back towards FentonWorks. She was traveling much slower than she had been, though, and it prompted him to hurry. Phasing into the living room probably wasn't his brightest idea though.

"Ghost!"

"No wait, Mo-Mrs. Fenton," he looked down at Danni, "She belongs here right? That Sam girl was running with her, and there was another ghost chasing her. I thought I'd drop her off here…if it is where she goes…um…"

"Danni?" Jazz vaulted over the couch and took the young girl into her arms, whispering hurriedly to Danny as her mother shook herself out of her shocked stupor, "What's going on?"

"Sam is being chased by Youngblood and Danni used too much energy, watch her," and he was gone again before Maddie had made it all the way to Jazz. The two women made Danni comfortable on the couch, then started talking about Danny Phantom. With his last few moves, he'd began to redeem himself in the eyes of Maddie Fenton and Jazz couldn't have been happier to tell her of all the times the ghost boy saved her.

Maddie was duly impressed.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Are you alright?" Danny had just wondered onto the strangest scene, which was odd considering what his life consisted of. Here was Sam, holding her side and leaning against a wall so she wouldn't fall over with Youngblood hovering worriedly by her side, poking her and trying to get her to move or talk, "Hey, human, talk or I'll…I'll shoot you with a marble."

"She can't talk right now," Danny batted him back away from Sam, albeit a bit more gently than he normally would have and started to force Sam to stand up straight, "She's too out of breath from running. Hey, breathe alright? Stand up straight and breathe."

"What are you doing?" Youngblood got in his face, waving a sword and scowling fiercely, "She's my human, not yours…she said she was going to play with me!"

"I'm not playing with her, I'm trying to help her breathe easier," Danny ignored the child, focusing instead on cooling Sam off with his naturally cool aura as a ghost, "Can you talk now?"

"I think…so," Sam swallowed hard and leaned against Danny, "Shouldn't have…skipped gym yesterday."

A wry laugh left her lips, and Danny knew she was fine. The girl was amazing strong and could run like nobody's business, but she'd been carrying a ten year old around on her back and running for nearly fifteen minutes now. She deserved to be out of breath, if not more so than she was.

"No, stop talking to him, you're playing with me! You're my human now, not his!"

It was a full out temper tantrum now and Danny had had enough, "That's it! You almost ran her to death, you weren't playing with her!"

"Yes I was, I was playing chase, just like last time, you jerk!" a little foot stamped mid-air, "It's not my fault that she's all fleshy and runs out of a stupid thing like _air_!"

"I don't care," Danny leveled the thermos at the child and issued yet another warning to the boy, "Stay away from Sam. She's not your human…she's…she's my human, got it? So stay away."

"No!" but he was pulled into the thermos alongside Skulker, and Danny shook it for good measure, so hot was his temper in that moment.

"I hope you don't think I'm really _your _human," Sam frowned from where she stood beside him, pulling his attention back to what he'd just done. It wasn't exactly normal, but it wasn't exactly unheard of to claim a human as a personal source of amusement or energy. Hopefully his doing so now, though, would get the point across that Sam was off limits.

"Heh, no…," Danny quickly scooped her up and leapt up in the air, heading for his house right away, "I just needed some way to get him off your back…and hopefully it will work for a while."

"I still don't agree with being treated like a pet that you can claim," Sam frowned up at him from the cradle of his arms, "but thank you for finding me…I had the worst stitch in my side and he kept poking it."

"Ouch," Danny landed on the sidewalk in front of his house and changed back, then lowered Sam to the ground, "Come on, I need to see if Danni's okay. Then I'll walk you home."

They were on the doorstep when Sam paused, unsure of being around Danny all of a sudden for some reason. He was still fairly charged with ectoplasmic energy and it was starting to bother her as she lost her adrenaline rush…and she couldn't fathom why.

"Um, I think…," she looked down one way, then back towards the boy who was smiling gently.

"I'm really sorry our first date got ruined, but at least it was memorable right?" Danny was wincing now and reached for Sam's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, "And I know now probably isn't the best time to ask…but maybe there could be a second date? If I promise a few less ghosts or something?"

"You can't promise that, Danny, but," Sam gave him a quick kiss to the cheek, then jerked back as her lips tingled from the residual energy covering the boy, "but I'd like that I think."

"Good," and he opened the door and tugged her in after him, "Now let's go explain to Mom about the awesome ghost fight we just saw downtown."

"Actually, I need to get home," Sam pulled back, and smiled for him, tired and ready for sleep more than anything, "I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Um, alright, you want me to walk you home?"

"No, I can get there by myself. I'm a big girl, you know," Sam teased gently, then headed off, "Night."

"Night, Sam," Danny waved and watched her walk away, wondering just how tired she really must have been. Shutting the door behind him, Danny thoroughly chastised himself, 'Should have walked her home, should have insisted, should have kidnapped her and flown her home…but then she'd be pissed…'

It appeared to be a no win situation at that moment, and as soon as he saw his mother and sister sitting beside a soundly sleeping Danni he knew that everything was going to have to wait until tomorrow. Stealthily he headed upstairs, calling a quick goodnight downstairs. He didn't give anyone a chance to talk to him, and lay thinking over the evening all night, 'Is Sam alright?'

That question bothered him far into the night and even plagued him the next morning until he became aware of a clone floating in front of him on his bed, turning cherry red from what she was about to say, "I think I'm going through puberty."

Yep…it was turning out to be one of those days…Danny decided it was probably best to just burry himself under his pillows and hope that he suffocate.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"You're too young," Danny whined, not ready to face this part of his clone's life. For the past two years he'd been playing the role of mentor and sometimes parent when she desperately needed it, but at this point, Danny decided he was not ready to be a teenage father, even if it was to his own…female self.

"Then what is going on?" Danni angrily folded her arms around the pillow she was holding in her lap, watching as Danny made his way around the room and began to pick out clothes to wear that day, "My powers are going all funny, Danny. You told me we'd talk after breakfast, and now it's after breakfast."

"Is it puberty or your powers?" Danny huffed as he sat down, not sure what he could say. He'd gone through puberty as a boy, not a girl, and was still in the process of growing out of his awkward younger self, "What's happening?"

"I just…I can't control it as well, and it's not because I'm not stable. I can last a lot longer now actually, like last night," she had started to chatter in her excitement, forcing Danny to listen carefully to her fast paced talk, "Skulker was here looking for you, then I started to fight him and I was alright for about ten minutes, but then I started to feel a little tired, so that's when I came and got you. He's really tough."

"Tell me about it," Danny laughed, thankful that the hunter liked to play with his prey and probably had gone easy on Danni, "So your powers are giving you problems?"

"Yeah, like I'll accidentally phase my hat off my head if I get embarrassed or surprised," she frowned at that, "I never used to do that."

"I used to do that all the time when I first got my powers, or right after I'd learned a new one," Danny thought for a moment, wondering how cloning worked exactly and how she'd come out knowing everything without really having to practice for long, "Can you do the ghostly wail or use ice powers yet?"

"Um, no," she shook her head, squeezing the pillow tighter, "Just the basic stuff like you could when I was cloned. Vlad said I didn't get any of your special powers because he realized that I wasn't turning out to be the right sort of clone…I didn't realize what he meant though…and then…"

"I know," Danny sighed and scooted closer to the young girl, pulling her into a quick hug, "But we all know what a huge jerk he is. Maybe you're just…getting stronger or something."

"I dunno', but I think that," but she was interrupted by a knock on the door as Maddie made her way in, "Morning again!"

"Morning again, Danni," Maddie sent a puzzled smile the little girl's way, still unsure of how they were related…but there was certainly enough Fenton blood in the child if you went by her looks and her appetite, "If you two don't mind, I have some errands for you to run today. Jazz is going to go with you so you don't have to walk, alright?"

"Alright, Mom," Danny pulled off his nightshirt and quickly put on his clean one, "Come on mini-me, let's get going. The sooner we get done, the sooner we get ice cream."

"Deal," and they were out the door without another word, getting ready for the day and fighting over the bathroom as though they were siblings. Maddie chuckled to herself the entire time, enjoying it as the sounds the pair made filled her house. This, children running around and being themselves, was one of the most rewarding things she could think of.


	3. Density

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Not as long as usual, but ah well, at least I got the chapter out, right? Hope you all enjoy it and lots of love to you all! Let me know about typos!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Three: Density**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Argh, Tucker!" and there went Sam again, straight pass him at the lockers and out the door with the lunch lady ghost hot on her heels, screeching something about vegetarians and their need for meat. Of course Sam was screaming back that she was ultra-recyclo vegetarian, which was different and she didn't need meat thank you very much. Somewhere in there she'd managed to get out his name and, "A little help here?"

Sighing, he looked upwards for patience, then started on his way with a thermos in his hand meeting Danny halfway with a look that let Danny know exactly what was happening…again. The halfa's face immediately melted from happy to concerned and he turned in step with Tucker to walk out the door. Sam was currently glaring down the ghost in front of her; glaring because she was buried in meat and couldn't move.

"Again, huh?" Danny hung his head and walked behind a large bush, reappearing as Phantom, "I'm surprised that no one's noticed that the only person I've been rescuing lately is Sam."

"Considering that out of the past five ghost attacks of this week, four of them have been against Sam," Tucker tapped something into his PDA with a frown, "I'm surprised too."

"Hey," Danny called, flying up to the ghost currently tormenting Sam with a Salisbury steak, "As much as I agree with the fact that you need meat in your diet, this is a free country and she can choose to not eat it."

"That's just un-American," the ghost quipped back, holding a pie in front of her as five more hovered behind, "Just like turning down a nice apple pie!"

"Don't you guys ever get tired of the banter?" Sam was standing with her arms folded, an angry blush settling across her face at having to be rescued yet again, "It's not even witty."

"You try coming up with something smart to say to the person trying to kill you and your best friends and see what you get out," the halfa groused back as he ducked and dodged flying pies, "I mean, seriously, trying to think, talk, and fight at the same time isn't exactly easy."

"Cookie?" A quick head shake was all it took to send the lunch lady off once again, "Then die!"

"Hey, Danny, move to your left," Tucker was aiming with a thermos, carefully marking the two fighters' positions. As soon as the boy moved, Tucker happily sucked in the ghost, a smarmy smile spreading across his face, "And score one for the techno-geek, today's ghost capturer. Thank you, thank you all, I'll be signing autographs later in the lobby."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sam waved him off, a small smile playing across her face as Tucker took a bow in her direction, "Thanks guys…and I'm sorry you have to keep saving my butt."

"No big," Danny laughed and changed, but not before phasing Sam out of the pile of meat. They listened to the girl as they walked back towards the school with time to spare for once. No one would be getting detention that day, and that was something that Danny was very thankful for, though he could do without her continuing disgust over being covered in innocent dead flesh.

Tucker on the other hand was staring with a troubled mind at the little computer screen before him. He'd been tracking Sam's encounters as best he could over the past two weeks; out of the fourteen days she'd been attacked a total of seventeen times. This realization was both startling and concerning.

For Danny, seventeen attacks in two weeks was a normal number, being as he was enemy number one to most ghosts. Even Jazz and himself saw as many as eight or nine, but never a number as high as Sam's, and for the life of him Tucker couldn't figure out why. Most of the time she wasn't even hanging around Danny, and if he traced back what he had pieced together from conversations, she'd been being attacked for almost as long as she'd had contact with the halfa.

'But what does that mean?' Tucker hated puzzles he couldn't solve, 'The first time she was attacked…well, who knew why that happened, but then the seafood that came back to life, and Shadow targeting her. She hadn't really even met Danny, either Fenton or Phantom.'

By the time Tucker decided to put up his PDA, he had already managed to migrate to his classroom and into his seat. The bell rang as he gave a heavy sigh and put thoughts of Sam and ghosts aside for the time being. There would be time to figure it out after he got out of school.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Danny Phantom, you are here to inform the council of your opinion on the safety of the citizens of Amity Park and the system for which you believe ranking ghosts is necessary," a man of middle age stood before a convening council in one of the larger courtrooms that Amity Park held, addressing not just his colleagues, but also the infamous Danny Phantom, "Also, you have stated that you have a concern for the management of information that you have given in the past on certain ghosts and their abilities, skills, habits, and the like. Is this correct?"

"Yes sir," Danny stood nervously, tapping his foot rapidly as his gaze traveled from face to face. He'd been before the council before, displayed how powerful he could be, explained how there were ghosts far more powerful than himself, and they'd still demanded a list of 'safe' ghosts. He had no such list to give, "Um, I know that you've been asking for a select list of ghosts that can be claimed as safe, and that I've been telling you the same thing over and over…so I finally decided to try something else, and maybe you'll agree with me. I want to help you create two lists, one which lists all the ghosts as dangerous and what their abilities are. The other list would be ghost who are inclined to be…more friendly than others. Um, like…I guess me; there are other ghosts too who don't mind humans."

"Why can we not create a safe list as we've been asking for then, if there are other ghosts such as yourself?" This time it was a man three seats to the left who spoke, calculating eyes taking in Danny's movements carefully. Most of these men and women remembered well his show of strength of a few months back, though for some reason they were less inclined to be afraid of him now, as though it were some sort of admission on his part.

"Good question," Danny nodded and spread his hands as he tried to think of how to explain it, "See, even though there are a few ghosts who are, um, 'friendly' they're still dangerous. Most are easy to upset."

"Yet you seem continuously calm, except for when actually fighting," the same man spoke to him, glancing down at a paper before him as though he had notes to help him get through his questions, "Of course, anyone would be a bit…riled, as it were, but you seem capable of keeping stable in most situations that we've been privy to."

"Um, I'm a little different," this was starting to go into treacherous territory, but they needed to understand that all ghosts were powerful, and all ghosts could be dangerous, "There's four types of ghosts that haunt Amity and the ghost zone, as far as I can tell. I would like the list to be divided into these categories if we, or um you all, decide to follow my suggestion."

"Please continue, Mr. Phantom," the head speaker motioned for him to go on, all eyes on the young ghost before them as he shifted nervously, "We are considering all the options before us at the time, and in order to better do so, we need all the facts."

"Well, there's low level ghosts…those that normal humans can't see or that can barely manage to hold a human-like form. They're the ones that the original image of a ghost probably came from," Danny took a deep breath and geared up to continue, hoping that this time he could get everything he needed to say out without upsetting anyone, "Then there are ghosts that are more powerful and come from our world. People that have died and cling to an obsession. After that there are ectoplasmic entities that just formed. I'm not really sure how that works, but they weren't human before. This, um…category holds the most powerful of the ghosts and a few that are like second class ghosts."

"And where do you fall?" a young business woman sitting directly to Danny's right looked up at him, her caution apparent in her eyes. In that moment it seemed as though everyone was holding their breath and that the young ghost boy was going to stay silent. Her next question gave him a bit of leeway, "You said that there were four categories, so perhaps you fall there?"

"Yes," Danny answered carefully, "There are only three of us in the world that I know of…and really there's only two now."

"And what are you?"

"I'm…me," Danny put on his trademark smile and floated up a bit, backing away from the table, "I guess I'll let you all think about what I said. Are we having another meeting next week at the same time?"

"Yes, we are," the head of the table gave a small smile in return, a major difference from Danny's first visit when he'd had to be escorted in and out and everyone was afraid of him, "Have a good week, and please keep our town safe."

"Will do," Danny threw a cocky salute down to the man and then phased out, landing just outside of the door invisibly. Walking back in, he floated up to sit above the table and listen in on what the men and women were discussing, 'Maybe they'll finally make a decision about this mess and I can get my Friday afternoons back…'

"This is just ridiculous," one man was standing to argue his point now, loudly and rather belligerently, ignoring the many protests going on around him, "He refuses to work with us in the manner that we wish, and it is obvious that the safety of this town's citizens is not that ghosts first priority! Why, I ask, if he knows where they come from and has been doing this for so long, will he not just stop them at the point of entry? What else does a ghost have to do besides terrorize humans and fight other ghosts?"

"Who wants to sit around and do guard duty all day, Max?" the woman who had questioned him before was now boredly looking down at her papers, upon which she was busy writing, "I for one get bored enough sitting around here for the few hours a week we spend meeting and discussing this ghost problem. He looks like a teenager, and my teens don't enjoy sitting around doing nothing, and I imagine it's the same for him."

"He's a ghost," Max argued back, "and according to the research that Jack and Maddie Fenton have done, he should love the chance to play up his obsession of dealing with this town."

"You know that information has been updated," another woman finally stood, purse in hand and ready to leave, "They've been studying Phantom closely and have noticed that he doesn't exactly fit into that 'obsessive' category. He's even admitted himself, today in this room, that he was a different class than the three that we are all familiar with."

"That doesn't change the fact that he is a ghost," Max stubbornly folded his arms.

"Maybe not, but it does change my opinion of him, as has his attitude and determination to help us," she tucked her chair back under the table and turned to the head of the table, "I'm sorry I have to leave early, but you how it is with kids at school."

"Of course Doreen," he sent her on her way, "Please be safe and tell your little ones hello."

"We still haven't decided on what to do, and we've been deliberating for weeks," Max once again spoke, this time raising a very valid point, "Today is the day we need to decide, and one less council member won't hurt the decision either way…and if it does, we'll get her vote via phone."

"Alright then," the head sighed wearily, "Is there a motion on the floor?"

"Yes," the first woman spoke up before Max had a chance to open his mouth, much to the amusement of everyone around the table, "I motion that we follow the advice and opinion of one, Danny Phantom, and write the list according to the prescribed categories."

"Do we have a second?"

'Please second it, someone…anyone, please, please, please,' Danny crossed his fingers and looked down on the little group, cheering silently to himself as a man whom he'd never heard speak before raised his hand, 'Yes!'

"I second Marla," and the room was now waiting on bated breathe.

"All in favor?"

A series of 'Ayes' and raised hands hand Danny floating just a bit higher and whispering a quiet thank you to all below him, with a singular exception.

"All opposed?"

"Nay," and Max raised his hand, with a stubborn set to his face.

"Max, I swear if you don't change your mind this instant that I will invite Mother over for a week and you'll be eating her food and sleeping on the couch," Marla was giving the man a death look to which he quickly lowered his hand and mumbled, "Aye."

Danny couldn't help but laugh, and stifled it as several of the council members looked up knowingly with a small smile. Even the head was chuckling at the little scene, "Well, since it is unanimous between the eleven remaining members, and I'm sure that Doreen would agree, we'll call this motion closed. And if there happens to be any…ghosts around, congratulations."

Danny's smile couldn't have been any bigger at that moment in time, and it was one happy ghost who went on his way to a well deserved truancy detention.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Hey Sam," Danny practically floated into Lancer's classroom, a grin plastered on his face, "Guess what?"

"Today's meeting went well."

"Yeah, how'd you guess?"

"You mean besides the ridiculously happy and large smile that's currently plastered to your face?" the girl folded her arms and sat back at her desk, watching as Danny took his normal seat beside her in the all too familiar classroom, "Maybe it's the fact that I have connections."

"Good connections," Danni appeared beside Sam, grinning like a fool at how Danny jumped at her sudden apparition, "I stood with my head through the wall and listened. And what did you mean that there's only two of us now? 'Cause I know I'm still halfa and you're still halfa, so what gives?"

"Vlad got split," Danny shrugged, his smile turning quickly into a rather smug grin, "I'll tell you about it later, but you'd better run before Lancer catches you in here."

"Um, I think I'll stay," Danni cast a sideways glance at Sam, then slid back into invisibility, "Just to hang around. I promise I'll be quiet…and I'll sit outside, okay?"

"Alright," Danny watched as the door opened and closed of its own volition, "What's up? Why's Danni hanging around you…not that she wouldn't want to, because that came out sounding totally insulting…and I'm sorry."

"You're a guy," Sam shrugged, letting it roll off her back and understanding what Danny had been trying to say, "Tucker couldn't stay with me all day to help me ward off ghosts, and I haven't exactly had much experience, so Danni opted to hang out with me today except for her little excursion. She's a pretty cool little kid."

"Thanks, I know I am," Danny laughed then and watched as Sam rolled her eyes over his little 'clone' joke, "You know it was funny, don't try to deny."

"Oh, trust me," Sam replied dryly as Lancer came in, "I'm not gonna' deny anything, and in my non-denial, that joke was lame."

"You're just sore because you haven't had as good a day as I have."

"Which included skipping fifth and sixth period, if I have my information correct, Danny," Lancer sank into the chair behind his desk and shuffled through his papers, "I had believed that you two had skipped together, though now I might be convinced otherwise. Where were you Mr. Fenton, Ms. Manson?"

"I was running around with a ghost trying to braid my hair," Sam frowned heavily, reaching up to tenderly touch her head, "Let's just say that when you don't want to get your hair braided, the second best option to a ghost is to yank it out."

"Ouch," Danny replied, wanting to say so much more, 'Are you hurt? What ghost, where is it now? Is that why Danni is around, or was it Danni who did it? I'll kick her butt all over Amity if-'

"And you Mr. Fenton?"

"Um, just out…being a bad teenager doing um…"

"Bad teenager things?" Sam cut a look across her desk at the boy, "Yeah, you're one convincing bad boy."

"Hey!"

"That's quite enough between you two," Lancer shook his head and grimaced again, "I have a headache the size of the Odyssey, so if you two will please work quietly."

Two heads bent over homework for the rest of the afternoon, and it was with a renewed triumphant smile that Danny left the classroom, his homework completely finished, and much to Sam's amazement as she looked it over, completely correct, 'Sometimes I forget that ordinary, C student Danny Fenton belongs to a family of geniuses, and just doesn't have time to bring up his grades…'

"What's with the face?" Danni appeared from around the lockers and started to walk with Sam, "Your head still hurtin' ya'?"

"No, I was just thinking," Sam paused at her locker and looked over at Danny as he opened his own, her eyes taking in the back of his head and tracing down his neck, his shoulders, his back, "I never got to thank you for helping me out today."

"It's cool," Danni smiled and hovered halfway between the two, looking over towards Danny as she spoke, "Actually, it's kind of something I thought I should talk to both of you about. I didn't just come here because I think I'm going through puberty…I came here because I felt like I needed to find something here. I don't really know how to explain it though."

"Explain what?" Tucker walked around the corner, coming more than likely from the computer rooms, "Hey guys, 'sup?"

"Well, let's see," Danny started a rundown, listing the items on his fingers, "The council finally approved my idea, Sam got chased by another ghost, but Danni helped her out, I finished all my homework in detention, and Danni says she feels like something is pulling her and that's why she came to Amity Park."

Two lockers closed in unison as both Danny and Sam moved to join Tucker, Danni walking between the two happily listening. Tucker looked down towards the girl, perplexed by his best friend's rather jumbled explanation, "Pulling you how?"

"Like there's something here I'm supposed to find or get to or something," she shrugged her shoulders, then tucked her hands into her pockets, "I dunno', it's really hard to explain it. Don't you feel it Danny? I mean, if I do, shouldn't you?"

"I guess so," the boy shrugged, giving Sam a shy look that no one else caught, "I've been sorta' busy though…distracted. Maybe that's why I haven't noticed it or something."

"I guess," though Danni didn't really sound convinced, glancing over at Sam with a curious look, "Sam has been being attacked a lot, hasn't she?"

"Yeah, almost as often as Danny does," Tucker answered for her, looking up as he thought something over, "With the two attacks today, it brings the total up to…nineteen for the past two weeks. Not exactly a record I'd be proud of having, but for a Goth, I guess it's a good thing."

"Only if you're crazy or a masochist," Sam groused to herself, making Danny laugh and pull her into a sideways hug as they walked. Sam blushed of course, and both Tucker and Danni laughed, before the youngest of the group turned a bit more serious.

"You know, the weird thing is, Sam's the second person I talked to when I got here," Danni glanced up at the taller girl, "It felt like I was supposed to…"

"So, what does that mean?" Tucker puzzled out loud, thinking it over as the rest were, 'Are they related or not? What the heck is going on…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Good afternoon, Maddie."

Instantly, a button for recording was pushed as Maddie walked over to the console where they kept tabs on their ghostly inhabitant of the lab. He did not often speak, but when he did, the information they could collect was practically priceless. He'd said hello a few times, and as she always did, Maddie nodded her salutations in return. It wasn't that she was being nice to the ghost, she just considered it good manners.

"We have not yet truly spoken," his tone was rich, and somehow hauntingly familiar, "though perhaps that is my own fault for not setting up a more proper line of communications between us."

"I would prefer it if you didn't speak," Maddie fiddled with another instrument, adjusting it so it would take better readings on the ghost, "I don't enjoy conversing with my study subjects."

"Oh, I do," Plasmius was standing at the very edge of his small confine, watching her with a predatory glint to his eyes, "I do it often, or rather I did before I let myself so foolishly be put in this ridiculous predicament. Silly of me really, but rather ingenious. I have to admit I was quite proud of my heir."

"Your heir?" and Maddie was shocked, putting together what his insinuation meant, 'He was delivered here by Phantom, which means that he's saying that…'

"Yes, my heir, though not by birth," he watched as Maddie relaxed visibly, enjoying the emotional ride he was putting her through, "I had chosen that brat, for reasons beyond my understanding to be my heir, to learn from me, to help me rule this miserable planet. It really is a shame that he turned me down so often, he had such potential."

"He is a powerful ghost," Maddie acknowledged, and continued to watch the ghost in front of her, feeling as though his eyes were raking across her skin somehow.

"That's not exactly what I meant, though he is powerful," the ghost smiled maliciously, "He had so much pent up in him, and if he'd just let go, I'm sure he'd be far more evil than even myself…as I said, such potential. Your son…such potential."

"What does my child have to do with this?"

Plasmius found himself with a gun to his eye; it would have no problem passing through the containment unit should it be fired, "Nothing and everything Madeline. You are such a feisty woman, jumping to all sorts of wrong conclusions, holding one of the most dangerous ghosts ever in your basement while you and your children sleep just upstairs…"

"That's enough of your threats," the fire in her eyes was blazing, and Plasmius was enthralled, "If you ever dare lay a hand me or mine, I'll kill you, without remorse. Do you understand ghost?"

"Perfectly."

"Mom? Are you home?" the voice drifted down into the lab and Plasmius immediately backed away further into his containment unit.

"Your child calls."

Maddie had chills as she headed up the stairs. The ghost just laughed.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"I swear that Mom said she'd be home today," Danny dumped his backpack on the floor beside the couch, sinking to sit with Sam on his left and Danni on his right. Tucker opted for leaning against the side and playing with his PDA, as he was almost finished with the last level of his game.

"I'm here honey," Maddie finally made it up the stairs, forcing herself to calm down, "I was just distracted down in the lab."

"Hey Mo-you okay?" Danny stood again, moving over to her side quickly with worried features, "You look like you're not feeling good or something."

"I'm fine," the teens watched the older woman gently push Danny back, all taking in the pallor of her face, "Just been down in the lab too much today, working too hard, all that nonsense. Now, would you kids like a snack?"

"Can we have fudge?"

The question was in stereo as both Danny and Danni instantly brightened, the boy's worry for his mother fading as she was quickly returning to her normal self. Sam shook her head and settled herself more comfortably onto the couch, already knowing that, if Danni was truly a clone of Danny, they would both have stomach aches later for over indulging and she'd be hearing all about it. A quiet chuckle out of Tucker let his opinion be known as well, even as engaged as he was in his game.

"I wonder where your father is?" Maddie paced back into the kitchen, two of the four children currently in her house hot on her trail for the offered fudge, "He said he was just running to the store for a few supplies."

"Yeah, but you know Dad," Danny laughed and started searching for sodas for himself, Danni, and Tucker, and a bottle of water for Sam, "A 'few' supplies for him means buying out half the store because he thinks something looks cool."

"True," the mother smiled gently to herself as she watched her son and somehow unknown niece cart the drinks back into the living room, following behind them with two plates of vegan friendly fudge balanced in her hands, "but I hope he gets home soon. We need to talk about putting up a few more security measures around here. Too many ghosts lately…"

'Too many ghosts, or too much of one ghost?' Danny watched carefully as she spoke, wondering if Vlad was starting to get on her nerves, or worry her in some way, "It's not that bad, is it Mom?"

"I suppose not," she turned to leave the room, stopping just around the corner as she thought over what would need to be done, 'A few new guns placed around the building and inside, new detectors set up, the whole system needs to be recalibrated…there's just so much to be done.'

"Your Mom okay?" Tucker's voice reached her, as did a small smile at his concern for her.

"She seemed okay, but I think something's still bothering her," her own child's voice came then, and she could almost see the worried look that would pass over his face, "I'd bet anything that it's Plasmius downstairs, being a bigger jerk than normal. I mean, if one was being 'normal', it makes sense that the other one would be…weirder than usual, which is saying a lot."

"Why don't you just move him out of there?" that was Sam, sounding bored as she sometimes had a habit to, "It might upset you Mom and Dad, but if he's being too much of a problem…"

"Or threatening anything," Danny cut back in on Sam, and it sounded as though he was thinking hard all while thinking, "I'll bet that's what it was. He probably freaked Mom out with something he said, that jerk. Hey Tuck, you up for some extra homework with me tonight?"

'That was a sudden change in conversation,' Maddie listened as Tucker answered a quick 'Yep', then turned and went on her way, 'And how in the world does Danny and the rest of those kids know Plasmius. He even talked to Danny when we first got him down in the lab…what is going on? It's final now, we have to get new safety measures in place, and Jack and I are going to start working on it as soon as he gets home, even if it's midnight!'


	4. Dimensions

**_The Art of Science_**  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_Note_: Hm…this one should be interesting, and really it's all just the set up before things start to domino. Hope you enjoy it and let me know if you spot any typos, especially of the glaringly obvious type! And poor Tuck in this one...he's having a rough day, lol. 

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Chapter Four: Dimensions

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Last day of school, thank God,' Danny sat in his bed, a tired yawn working it's way out of his mouth quite without his permission. The sound of hammers hitting the walls of his house, electric screwdrivers, sawing, and welding had been heard all night, as well as the past couple of days. Danny had been stealthily making his way around the house, careful to never appear in his ghost form and trying hard to keep Danni from doing the same, 'Too bad mini-me doesn't listen very well…I wonder if I was really that much of a brat when I was little…'

"Rise and shine, soon to be Junior!"

"Jaaaaazzzz," Danny let himself fall back onto his bed and pulled a pillow over his head, ignoring his sister's impatient knocking to the best of his ability, "Go away…I have five more minutes."

"Yeah, but will you truly be able to sleep with all the racket that Mom and Dad are making around the house?" her head finally appeared around the side of his door as Danny allowed the pillow to slid off his face, "You might as well get up early. Enjoy your last day at school and all that, it's not like you'll really be doing anything anyways."

"Yeah, nothing except for playing guard dog for Sam all day," he glanced at where his cell phone had laid on his nightstand all night, on and on the charger just in case something had happened in the night, 'Speaking of which, I'd better call and make sure she's alright this morning…maybe I can walk her to school.'

"So you are getting up?" Jazz watched her brother in amazement as he rolled out of bed, surprised that he was actually listening to her advice and not getting those extra five minutes in, "I was sort of teasing you know."

"I know," Danny sighed tiredly, "I just need to walk Sam to school. She was attacked again yesterday, and twice the day before that…it just keeps getting worse and worse and me and Tuck can't figure out what's going on."

The thud of feet was heard from the stairs leading up to their rooms, and Jazz smiled as she watched Danni round the corner with a smile on her face, "I'll do it!"

"Do what?" Danny groused as he pulled on pants over his boxers and a new shirt for the day, "Annoy me this morning, or wait until this afternoon and pull another prank on me like you did on Monday?"

"I was just joking around, I didn't mean for your pants to fall completely off," Danni tried her hardest to look innocent, though no one was buying it at that moment in time, "Besides, I meant that I'd go find Sam. We were talking yesterday…about stuff, and it was really cool."

"What kind of 'stuff'?" Jazz asked, an interesting thought forming in her head.

"Just stuff that Sam likes," Danni's smile had grown, and the girl started to talk animatedly as Danny continued to get ready for the day, listening with a tiny smile of his own as his tiredness left him, "Like she's interested in anime, which is those crazy Japanese cartoons, and she likes to read romance novels and scary story books, which seemed kinda' weird to me, but that's okay because some of them seemed really neat, and she loves the animals and the plants and is some sort of ultro-vega something…"

"Ultra-recyclo vegetarian," Danny cut in without really paying attention and started to lace up his tennis shoes.

"Yeah, that, and," she paused to take a deep breath and Jazz had to try her hardest from bursting out laughing. She imagined that if Danny had met Sam at a younger age it would have been much like this, as she remembered well the day that the boy had met Tucker, "Did you know that she has a collection of exotic plants in her greenhouse? I mean, who has a greenhouse in their backyard?"

"She has a greenhouse?" Danny turned and looked at the little girl, "I didn't know that."

"It's cool!" but she didn't get much more out as the older boy snagged her hat from her head and held it out of her reach, "Give it back!"

"No, _and_ you can't use your ghost powers or you'll set off all the stuff Mom and Dad have been putting up," he grinned rather smugly and Jazz could only thank heavens that she'd been the older of the pair and not at a disadvantage like Danielle was, "Go get Sam and I'll give it back to you at school."

"That's bribery," Danni crossed her arms with a pout, then stomped out of the room, "and I'm telling Sam!"

"Go ahead kiddo'," the older halfa yelled back, his grin turning into a grimace as soon as she got out of sight, "I'm so dead. Sam likes her better than me."

"No," Jazz shook her head and gave a tiny giggle, "It just means that she likes your inner child as well, because that's sort of what Danni represents right now. You two are your own person, yes, but since she's your clone, she probably has a great deal of your personality and habits…which she does, because she's just like I remember you being when you were ten."

"Okay," Danny reached for his backpack, shaking his head and wincing when he heard a shot fired downstairs followed by a cry of 'False alarm!' from both of his parents.

"You know what I think is even funnier," Jazz put in just as he stood and started towards the door, "Both of you are attracted to her."

"What?" the boy tripped and nearly hit the wall, catching his balance at the last minute, "What do you mean, 'both'?"

"Your face was priceless," his sister laughed full out now, joining him by the door, "I just meant that both of you see her as a person you enjoy being around. It just helps to prove my theory that clones retain their original's personality traits and habits is all. She likes the same people you like and the same things you like, with a few exceptions, which makes her an individual. It's sort of cute really."

"Yeah, cute," Danny walked out with a confused look on his face, 'My sister has to be the weirdest person in the world.'

And with that thought the average teenager turned into a half ghost and took to the air to make it to school before Sam did. Irony was obviously not in the forefront of his mind that morning.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Jack, do you think we should upgrade the emergency ops center as well?" Maddie's head appeared from around the corner of where Jack was just finishing the instillation of the last ceiling gun in the lab. Backing down the ladder, he turned and thought for a moment, then nodded and removed his welding mask.

"I think we should, but I'll only do it if I get a plate of fudge and a break," he winked at his wife and enjoyed the way she coyly smiled back at him. A playful, "Oh alright," was her response as they both headed upstairs to the sounds of their ghostly captor growling slightly at the sight. It was getting harder to ignore the fact that the ghost had somehow become entranced with Maddie and hated Jack.

"So we've finished installing the four new ceiling guns, the two nets at the entryway, and the vaporizer in the lab," Maddie listed as she sat out two glasses to pour milk into and Jack fetched the plate of fudge that was seemingly always on hand and the milk, "The living room has new ecto-identifiers, all the other equipment has been upgraded and recalibrated so it's more sensitive now, and all the upstairs bedrooms have ghost-shield lockdown as well as a ceiling gun in each."

"Right," Jack happily dug in before they were fully sitting at the table and began to talk through his food, "Last thing to do is the ops center and that'll only take a couple of hours tops. Recalibrations take about an hour, and the blimp needs to be checked which will take about another hour. Everything was replaced and redone after Danny took it those couple of times, so most of our work is already done."

"Good," the woman took a sip of milk, then spit it back out, "Eck. Ecto-contamination in milk always makes it taste like brussel sprouts."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"So what's on the game plan for today, Sam?"

"Well," Sam looked back over her shoulder and dodged another empty box as it came flying her way, "Right now it would be to get to school without anything hitting me, but other than that I can't really think of anything right now. Thank God it's the last day of school!"

"I could do something," Danni was floating beside her, smiling that same exact smile as the resident super hero, "You know, beat him up, or make you intangible…"

"No, really," Sam puffed out her breath and threw Danni a rather sarcastic glance, "Don't strain yourself."

"Oh, don't worry about that, I don't turn into goo as often anymore," at Sam's horrified look, the halfa simply laughed and stopped flying along side of her, standing in mid-air to face the Box Ghost head on, "Hey, stop being mean to Sam!"

"Beware?" and the ghost came up short, confused at seeing what appeared to be a smaller, female Phantom, "What is this? Why are you smaller…and a girl…and…"

"'Cause I'm Danielle, not Danny," the girl rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, "Duh."

"Do not 'duh' me small one, for I am the master of all things cardboard and of a box-like and, or cubicle-like shape!"

"Yeah, yeah, like I care, just leave Sam alone," her hands started glowing as she held them out at her sides, displaying small balls of energy in each palm, "Otherwise, I'm gonna' kick your butt."

"No butt kicking necessary," Tucker came jogging around the corner with Sam in tow, thermos already out, "I've got the best thing there is to clear up an irritating case of BG."

"Beware!"

"Shut up," Sam nudged Tucker gently and gave him a pointed look. Three seconds later, a wailing Box Ghost was safely inside the thermos and Danni was giving Tucker a piece of her mind about letting her deal with it next time, she was a big girl who could take care of herself and Sam.

"Danni, _I _went and got Tucker," Sam started walking, forcing the other two to continue on towards school as well, "The school is only a block away and I figured that at least one of the boys would have a thermos on them. I was just lucky that I found Tucker so fast, and I didn't do it because I didn't think you could handle it."

"Yeah, sure you didn't," Danni kicked the air, then set herself down and changed back into her more suitable, human form. Praying for patience that she didn't really have at that moment, Sam stopped walking and laid her hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"I didn't. I did it because I didn't want you to get hurt when there was an easier way to take care of the situation," Sam bit her lip as she tried to word what she wanted to get across to the younger girl, "Just because you _can_ fight, doesn't mean that's your only option. Trust me, it pays to be smart."

"Yeah, it paid off for Sam in the fact that she figured out who Danny was and got more than just a friend out of the dea-ouf," Tucker doubled over as Sam's elbow connected with his stomach and the girl continued talking to Danni without even blinking, making it hard for the young halfa to keep a straight face.

"Look, it's okay to fight, don't get me wrong about that," she looked upwards and smiled to see Danny cruising by overhead, not really paying attention to the world around him at that moment in time, "but sometimes smarter means faster, and faster means more time to just enjoy yourself, right?"

"I guess," Danni shrugged as she seriously tried to understand what Sam was telling her, "So fighting smarter means I'll win faster?"

"Something like that," Sam finally gave up and started to drag Tucker with her to school, 'They're right…she is the clone of Danny. Stubborn, but too cute to risk beating it into them…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Five more minutes,' Tucker tapped his pencil against his desk, watching the pencil make black marks on the faux wooden desktop, 'Why can't my teacher be one of the cool ones who lets the class run wild on the last day. Nooo, we have to sit around and do nothing except play cards and talk. I mean, seriously, what teacher in the world doesn't let their students play with electronics the last day of school? Sometimes, I really despise public school.'

The classroom was full of chatter around him, people playing and talking, enjoying the chips and soda that they'd brought, all while Tucker wallowed in self pity for not being allowed to have his PDA out. The talking soon turned to hurried whispers and giggles to his right, which signified that the rumor mill was still running, and if the mentioning of the names 'Phantom' and 'Manson' were reaching the boy's ears, then it proved that it was running overtime at the moment.

"I saw her walking down the street about three days ago when out of nowhere this dog ran up to her. It was all green and looked really cute," one of the girls was talking animatedly now, describing one of her trips to the mall, "She reached down to pet it and it started licking her hand, so I wasn't all that worried and I guess she wasn't either 'cause she kept petting it."

"I wouldn't pet a green dog," one girl shook her head, a confused look on her face, "I mean, obviously it was a ghost if it was green."

"Yeah, well…she is really dark and likes all that spooky stuff," another of their little group shrugged, "Guess it means she likes ghosts too."

"Yeah, well," the original speaker got back on track, "That's the funny part. This little bratty kid showed up, I guess he was in eighth grade or something, and he started to tease the little dog…and it turned into this huge, ugly monster, and like, that Manson girl was yelling at it so it wouldn't attack the kid. Pretty brave, but really stupid right?"

A spattering of stuttered agreement came out and Tucker just smiled to himself and laid his head on the desk to continue his eavesdropping without being suspected, 'Yep, that sounds like something Sam would do alright.'

"Well, the dog started growling at her and it was like out of nowhere Phantom showed up and got all up in the dog's face so it couldn't get to her," she drew a deep breath and Tucker could just imagine the love struck look on her face, "He was so brave, and it was really cute 'cause it looked like he knew the dog! He started talking to it, rubbed it's belly when it rolled over, and then all of a sudden it was a tiny puppy again!"

"Aw, I bet it was really cute!"

"Totally," she continued, a tiny amount of frustration lacing her voice from being disrupted in her storytelling, "Anyways, he picked the puppy up and put it under one arm and then started talking to Manson. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked like they knew each other, and he offered her his hand like he was trying to get her to fly. Oh my God, I almost died when she shook her head no!"

"What?" the girl on the left, who had a much higher pitched voice, seemed beyond shocked, "Who in their right mind would turn him down?"

"I dunno'," the other girl answered, "I mean, everyone's lost on whether or not he's dangerous or not. I've heard that even the council at City Hall can't decide, so maybe she was just playing it safe or something?"

"That's so dumb! I mean, I wouldn't care, he's so hot," the first girl sounded like she was fanning herself as she said this and Tucker had to turn a snorted laugh into a snore before he was caught, "_Anyways_, like I was saying, she said no and so he started walking with her! Walking, on the ground like a normal person. He saved me once and never walked and talked with me afterwards…"

"Maybe he just wanted to know what happened with his dog," Tucker finally decided to cut in, lifting his head and pretending to be sleepy, "I mean, if my dog was randomly attacking someone, I'd want to know what set it off."

"Tucker Foley, you are an eavesdropper," the original storyteller accused, sounding perturbed. Tucker just grinned and shrugged.

"Guilty as charged."

"So anyways, did you hear about Michelle and Tiffany?"

'Thank God,' Tucker let his eyes fall closed as he lay his head back down, 'At least they're on something else now. Either Danny is going to have to be more distant when he sees Sam as Phantom or we're going to have to do something about all those ghosts attacking her…and I'll bet they'd both say we should try for the second one.'

The tone of the bell completely broke his concentration, startling him badly enough that he actually jolted in his seat. The girls who had been talking just giggled as quietly as they could while they stood and collected their things to leave the room. Tucker did the same with a rather unhappy frown hovering around his lips. Today was turning into one of _those_ days, and he didn't appreciate it at all.

Walking down the hall found him next to Sam's locker, and yet no Sam. Worry shot through him as he thought over what ghosts had already been caught that week, and which had not been seen. It was more than likely that something was bothering Sam, and the boy was right, though not in the way he expected.

"I swear if the two of you don't leave me alone," Sam suddenly could be heard over the ruckus of people around him, the edge in her voice sharp and warning, "I'll find a way to torture you, I don't care what it takes. Leave me alone, I'm serious!"

"But Sam," and that was Danny, who's head Tucker could see bobbing in the sea of students walking his way, "It's so…so…delicious…"

"What?" Tucker pushed himself off the abandoned locker, which they'd already cleaned out earlier that week, to make his way through the crowd to his friend. A wicked grin spread across his face as Sam spied him and her eyes widened, "What's this about delicious?"

"Not you too," her head hung now, "First Danny after lunch, then Danni teasing me all through the rest of the afternoon, then Danny again, and now you! I give up, where's a ghost who's out for my blood, and not trying to humiliate me when I need one?"

"Aw, that's mean," Danni had her hands tucked in her pockets and was walking backwards in front of Sam, relying on Danny to keep her from running into anything as she went, "We're just playing."

"Yeah. Right," Sam mimicked Danni's line from that morning as she folded her arms, "Just trying to tease me to death. That's nice; death by embarrassment."

"Seriously though," Tucker cut in, desperate to know just what was going on. If there was teasing going on, he was sure to be in on it, and this seemed to be prime teasing material, "What's up with something being delicious?"

"It just slipped out," Sam went pink; her face, neck, and ears all turning a pretty shade of that color almost instantaneously, "I didn't mean anything by it."

"It was after you left the lunch table and Sam-"

"Don't you dare, Danny Fenton!" the pair fell slightly behind as Sam interjected this into his story.

"Sam was carrying an apple with her and I took a bite out of it, and then she took a bite and-"

"_Danny_!" and a quiet 'Ooff,' was heard from behind though they all kept walking.

"And then she took a bite from the same spot and all of a sudden she was all 'Mm. Delicious,' and it was the funniest thing I ever saw!" Danni finished the story as soon as Sam had jumped on Danny and started trying to cover his face, effectively ending his storytelling, but opening the opportunity for the other halfa to speak, "They both got all red, and then Danny started making fun of her and then I started and I kept saying 'Delicious' randomly to Sam…it was the best thing all day!"

"I bet it was," Tucker laughed alone with Danni, enjoying the flushed shades on both his friends' faces, though Danny was smiling from ear to ear and Sam was pouting heavily, "but I think Sam's been thoroughly teased for the day. Lesson number one, never tease a person more than what they can handle."

"_Thank you_, Tucker," Sam smiled in relief as her blush settled and she moved to catch up with him, "So…changing subjects, how was the rest of your afternoon?"

"_Delicious_."

And that was how Tucker found out that he actually could run faster than Sam, though it was more out of desperation and the will to keep himself alive than physical fitness on his part. Yes, it was definitely turning out to be one of _those_ days.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Yep,' Tucker looked down at his watch, noting that it was almost time for dinner and his mother would surely skin him alive if he didn't get home soon, 'One of those days…'

Looking back up found him tilting his head all the way back in order to find the face of a tall, robotic looking ghost. It was similar to Technus, which was why Tucker was taking special care in observing the ghost before trying to deal with it. Another reason why he was taking special care in observing before dealing with it was because it was a ghost with magnetic based powers.

And his thermos, which was metal, had already been confiscated by said ghost because it was, quote, "SHINY!"

The boy moved quickly out of the way as the ghost put a huge foot down, crumpling the concrete beneath him in the street and drawing to him all the metallic objects of the area, including mailboxes, lamp posts, and cars. The more he drew in, the more he grew, and Tucker was starting to sweat bullets.

'Okay, no metal because he can get it, but if I can find something that has the opposite polarization of what he's usuing, then I should be able to repel him…,' the techno-geek took a quick look around him, frowning as realization dawned on him, 'Where the hell am I gonna' get a magnet that big?'

Tucker stood in the middle of the abandoned street and started to puzzle out another thing he could do, and was nearly kicked because of his thoughtlessness to the world around him. His hat went flying across the street, and Tucker scrambled to get it back, mumbling prays of thanks that it hadn't been his head. Grabbing a broom, the boy calmly stood and let his thoughts race while keeping an eye on the monstrous ghost destroying downtown, 'What am I gonna' do, that thing already got my cell, so I can't call Danny…where is he? Or Danni, for that matter…they can't both still be with Sam!'

Making his way along the edge of buildings, Tucker got closer to the creature before him, and gently poked at its foot, surprised when it didn't respond to the prodding, 'Okay, so it doesn't feel it either because I'm too small or because it's made of metal and can't feel…'

"Shiny, shiny, shiny," the ghost was singing, a deep tenor that would have made Tucker laugh had it not been such a serious situation, "I love my shinies…"

"Shinies, huh?" Tucker smiled, realizing that this ghost had at least one fatal flaw, "Just like a magpie…it collects the shiny objects…"

"Don't worry Tucker," a familiar voice called out, though it wasn't one that the boy wanted to hear at that moment in time, "We'll save you boy!"

"Mr. Fenton?" the teen turned around, and started running towards them, dodging bits of concrete that the ghost was throwing around in his attempt to stop the boy, "Mrs. Fenton! You shouldn't go near it with that equipment!"

"What?" she pulled up short, grabbing Jack and making him do the same as Tucker finally made it over to them, "Why not?"

"Because it's magnetic; it already took my th..my cell phone because it has a metal casing!" he was breathing hard from his sprint, "Your equipment is all metal and you have metal things imbedded in your suits too."

"Good thinking boy," Jack patted him heavily on the back and nearly knocked him on his face, "Now we just need to find a way to incapacitate that giant without weapons…"

"Maybe that's where I could come in handy?"

The voice echoed and seemed slightly off to human ears, though in fact it was normal enough to a ghost. Tucker kept himself from leaping for joy, but only because he was watching the Fentons fearfully at Danny's appearance. The two hunters turned slowly to find Danny hovering behind them, watching carefully as they pulled their weapons, though they did hold them down instead of directly pointing them at him while screaming, "Ghost!"

"Um, I mean," he was starting to fidget as the ghost tore up more of the town and his parents stood silently watching them, "You two just stay right here and I'll fight…no metal, see?"

His cheeky remark, along with his hands held up beside him had Maddie frowning and Jack sneering his disapproval. Danny helplessly looked down at the two, "It's not like you can fight with those metal guns you have anyways! I was just trying to help…"

"Then start helping and stop letting it tear up the street while you talk!" Maddie finally snapped at the boy hovering in front of her, "If we're incapable of helping then we'll stay out of it, but if you make one wrong move, that metallic monster is not going to stop me from frying your hide."

"Got it," the teen looked towards Tucker almost expectantly, to which the boy held up his hands to show them empty, then pointed towards the ghost in front of them. Danny nodded his understanding and shot into the air. One good punch had the poor boy's hand throbbing and his mind whirling for a way to defeat the ghost, 'No hitting, got that too…'

A quick lap around the ghost irritated it, making Danny the center of it's attention for a while, only to be distracted once again by a silver truck sitting on the side of the road that was shining in the late evening sunset. Following the ghost's line of sight, Danny was quick to make his way to the vehicle and pick it up, flying up into the air and causing the ghost to give chase, out of town and away from the people who were gathering to watch the impending fight.

On the very edge of town Danny set down and waited for the magnetic monster to catch up, coming up with several ideas to end the fight as quickly as possible. The instant the ghost was before him, Danny was flying up to his face…and nailed by some sort of ray that held him in place, making him an easy target for the ghost to bat away.

The halfa landed hard, sliding in the dirt back towards whatever had shot him, and finally tumbling to a stop at the feet of his parents who had followed in the Fenton RV.

"Why?"

Maddie looked horrified for a second as the young ghost struggled to sit up, one hand to his head where the other ghost had backhanded him. He had sounded so incredibly hurt when he asked, and in truth, she hadn't realized that the gun she had used would hold him in place.

"It was an ability scanner that we've recently made," she stuttered, though unsure of why it was so affecting her, "It wasn't supposed to suspend your movement like that…"

"I added that," Jack answered, unsure of whether he should be feeling remorse or not over the situation, "Had to when that Wisconsin ghost, Plasmius refused to stand still so we could nail him with it."

"Oh," Danny finally managed to get out, shaking his head clear of the cobwebs that formed from the blow, "Um…you shot me with a what?"

"An ability scanner," his mother reiterated, a chagrined look on her face, "Sorry about that…I just wanted to know what you were really capable of. It's probably printing right now in the RV, actually."

"You could have just asked," Danny stood shakily, then leapt back into the air, "You might actually want to go inside…I'm gonna' try to blow this thing up…I think it's sorta' like Skulker and his suit…"

Husband and wife watched the boy disappear into the machine and asked as one, "Skulker who?"

A second later the entire machine was raining down around them, the sound of the explosion ripping through the air and nearly knocking them from their feet. In the middle of the blast mark kneeled the ghost boy, breathing heavily with a shimmering shield around him, though it appeared to be cracked in several places. When he raised his head, both Maddie and Jack let out a tiny sigh of relief.

"Well…," Danny huffed heavily as he sat back on his bottom, "That was exciting…at least I don't have to take anything back to the ghost zone…"

"Phantom," Maddie addressed him by his name for once, which caught Danny's attention immediately, "Thank you for helping us. You've done it often, but we've always been suspicious of your motives."

"Thanks," the halfa shrugged from his spot on the ground, "but uh, like I tell everyone, you should probably always be careful around ghosts…I'd like to think I was different but one day it might…never mind. I'm just glad that you're not shooting at me with intent to kill or anything. I've always wanted you to know you could trust me."

"Don't get us wrong, ghost," Jack nodded his head to himself as he thought, "We don't necessarily trust you all the way yet. Ghost don't change their ways."

"I know," Danny answered sadly, watching as Maddie hurried over to the RV, coming back out with several papers in her hands, "Is that…?"

"These are all the readouts on you," she looked down quizzically at the papers, "All the abilities you have from the most basic to the most advanced, all the abilities that you are currently developing, and all the dormant abilities that you may one day be able to control. This list is amazing, a full page longer than the Wiscon-er, Plasmius's. I thought you said he was more powerful than you?"

"I thought he was," the halfa started hovering in amazement, something that he often did without thinking about it when in the form of Phantom, "I mean, ghosts can't automatically tell how powerful another ghost is if they have a human form…they just know that they're strong enough to have a human form…"

They stood uncomfortably for a few moments, Maddie reading over the handouts and humming thoughtfully to herself over several things that had Danny curious and not a little worried. What if it revealed somehow that he was both ghost and human…that would make it all to easy for his mother to figure out his secret. Jack and Danny stood eyeing one another, unsure of how to bow out of the situation they found themselves in, until Maddie began to read out loud, surprising even the young ghost with some of the things she was reading.

"All the basic powers, though one of them is still developing…I'm sure you know that," she glanced up briefly to find Phantom nodding his head with his hair bouncing over his eyes, reminiscent of Danny's hair she noticed, "Ice powers that are rather strong, the ability to use a vocal sound to produce energy waves, several unusual developing powers like being able to tear the fabric of…reality?"

"Yeah, I won't get that for a while…," his hand shot to the back of his neck and he floated a little higher, "Um, I don't really want to find out before they happen…I kinda' like my powers to be a surprise, so I think I'll just go."

"Right," Jack looked up at him, still gauging his actions and watching him carefully. The higher Danny drifted, the more both Fentons relaxed, until Maddie was leaning into her husband and tiredly passing her empty hand over her face, "You okay, baby?"

"Fine, Jack dear," she lay her head more fully against him, "It's just an interesting thing to realize that you've been completely wrong for nearly your entire life. I don't exactly trust that Phantom isn't plotting to take over the world, but…according to this list he could have killed us at anytime this past year or so and we wouldn't have been able to stop him more than likely."

"He's that strong?"

"Yes," they headed back to the Fenton RV, Maddie glancing back up and over her shoulder to the tiny dot flying away from them, "and he's only getting stronger."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"I'm home!"

"Upstairs!"

Rushing up the stairs in twos, Danny skidded to a stop in front of his door, listening to the spattering of laughter behind it. Jazz, Danni, and Tucker were all inside talking about some old story about him and how he kept loosing his pants. It also sounded like someone was sniffling.

"Um, hello?" he poked his head through the door, though not literally this time for fear of setting off the new equipment, "What's up guys?"

"Oh, not a lot," Jazz smiled, then looked fondly down at Danni, "We were just talking about some of the more embarrassing moments in our lives. In fact, we just told Danni about all the times that you've been caught in your underwear."

"Oh, yeah," Danny gave a chuckle, both amused at the remembrance and realizing that he was about to help out with a delicate situation. The tear tracks that were rolling down Danni's cheeks were still fresh, and she was the source of the sniffling he'd heard. A few hiccups managed to make their way past her lips as well, causing a tiny blush to appear, "I've had a lot more embarrassing stuff than that happen to me though. I remember one time when I was thirteen I stepped in dog poo on the way to school and didn't realize it. I got to class and it smelled, and someone finally pointed out it was me…I couldn't get the smell to go away either, so for the rest of that year I was Fen-turd…actually, Dash still calls me that sometimes."

"I remember that," Tucker rolled his eyes and settled back on his elbows, resting on the carpet of Danny's floor, "Remember the time that my Mom accidentally messed up my hair when she was cutting it and I wouldn't let her shave my head to fix it?"

"Yeah, that's why you started wearing that hat, but everyone found out anyways 'cause I knocked it off at recess," Danny was laughing as was Tucker, and it seemed to be calming Danni down even more, "So what happened today, Danni? Whatever it was I bet I can beat it."

"I know," she nodded her head, a tiny smile finally appearing on her face, "I tripped when I was going up the stiars to come inside and some stupid boy started laughing at me and calling me clumsy…I got so mad that I lost control or something, because the next thing I knew my hat was covering my eyes and I fell on the porch and that stupid kid was laughing harder."

"Ouch," Danny said and watched as his best friend and his sister nodded, all with a sympathetic glint in their eyes, "At least you didn't loose your pants though, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," her small hand came up to swipe at a stray tear, and Tucker stood, stretching and yawning in a rather dramatic fashion causing Danni to laugh, "I'm not that little Tucker, if you want to go you don't have to be a drama queen about it."

"Heh, yeah," he rolled his eyes upwards, then smiled down at the younger girl, "but I got you to laugh at least. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Look out first day of summer!"

"Bye Tucker!" three voices echoed, and the two siblings and one clone continued their stories until the parental units showed up. The meal that night consisted of refried beans that spoke only German, thankfully normal toppings, and tacos that enjoyed tap dancing…and insisted on doing so all the way down your throat. By the end of the meal, Danni had forgotten all about her problem of the afternoon, though for Danny it was a little more difficult.

Laying in his bed, his thoughts chased themselves around and around. Thoughts of Danni and her problems, Sam and her problem, his own problem of his parents, and the biggest problem of Vlad Plasmius being up to something just downstairs. It was a wonder that Danny ever got to sleep that night.


	5. Equation

**_The Art of Science_**  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: One, I haven't played Scrabble in ages, so don't kill me if I didn't write that part correctly. Two, man, aren't I just cranking these things out today? Seriously, three in one day…whew! Three, any typos, let me know. Four, I put so many out because God only knows how long it will take me to get the next one out! 

Love you all and thank you for the continuing support!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Chapter Five: Equation

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Danny!" the thud of feet running up the stairs was something that Jazz was used to, though her newly acquired 'cousin' made much softer sounds than Danny's normal thundering, "Danny, where the heck are you?"

"He's not here, squirt," Jazz poked her head out of her room, "Sam came by earlier and they went out somewhere."

"Oh," the girl frowned, a bit perplexed, "'Cause I totally just kicked the Box Ghost's butt and put him back in the ghost zone…again. He was looking for the…what'd he say…the 'cardboard box that has been calling him for so long now' or something like that. Then he asked if I knew where Sam was."

"He asked you for Sam?" Jazz opened her door and invited Danni in with a nod of her head, "So he thought that Sam had the box or something?"

"Yeah, which is weird," the young halfa rolled her eyes and decided to float a foot over Jazz's bed instead of sit next to her on it, "I mean, why would Sam have a box that he would want?"

"I don't really know," Jazz looked around her room thoughtfully, pouring over every tidbit of information she had stored in her mind over the years, "He's not going to just change his obsession…ghosts don't do that, so I suppose I'm not surprised that he's asking for a box. It's just strange that Sam would be included at all. So many of the ghosts lately have been messing with Sam, and even you said that Sam was one of the first people that you felt like you could talk to, right?"

"Mmhm," the girl nodded as she swung her legs back and forth, annoying Jazz and taking delight in the process, "I just felt like I could talk to her or that I should. I dunno' why though."

"There's been a lot more ghosts lately too," Jazz put her hand up and stopped Danni's kicking, concentrating on adding up numbers over the past few days, "I've seen at least seven this week, but they weren't causing any trouble."

"I've talked to a couple of them, and they said they were just hanging out in their usual spots and they just had the urge to travel. They weren't from very far, like…on the edge of town or around some weird lake or something."

"Lake Eerie, with two 'e's?"

"Yeah I think so," the girl shrugged, then landed on the bed causing it to bounce, "Anyways, most of them don't even really want to be here, but they feel like there's something to be found here and it's agitating them."

"You do know what agitating means, right?" Jazz smirked as at first Danni nodded 'yes', then finally gave up and shook her head 'no', "It means upsetting or stirring up, or even annoying kind of."

"That makes sense," she nodded with a small frown on her face, "but that makes it not so good."

"Why do you say that?" the older girl was leaning back on her arms, trying to stay as open and friendly as possible to ensure that Danni continued talking. Sure enough, after thinking for a few moments, Danni mimicked her pose and started to elaborate.

"I just mean that it's no good because I feel the same way. I came to Amity because I felt like there's something here I'm supposed to find or go to or be around or something," she shook her head, unsure of what she was trying to explain and getting frustrated because of that, "And it's not good because I'm starting to feel agitated too, like when you can't sit still and you just want to do _something_."

"Antsy," Jazz supplied, "You feel antsy or fidgety."

"Yeah," the young halfa nodded, fiddling now with part of Jazz's bedspread, "It's not very often that ghosts feel the same thing or need to go to one place all together. We like our space, we like having our own territory, so it's weird that so many ghosts would come to Danny's town."

"It's his town now huh?"

"It's been his town since he won his first fight here, and it was really his town after he kept winning," the girl shrugged, "It's usual for more powerful ghosts to keep fighting over a good haunt, but it's weird that all these weaker ghosts are coming. I kinda' got a free pass because I'm Danny's clone, but everyone else shouldn't be here."

"So they're all gathering?"

"Yeah," the girl nodded, then stood to leave, "and that's not a good thing."

Jazz sat on her bed for a long while after that conversation, thinking over everything that Danni had been able to tell her. Pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together, like the fact that Sam had something to do with the increase in ghosts and that they were all searching for something, but the entirety of the picture was still unclear, 'It's like trying to work out a thousand piece puzzle without the picture on the front…'

Grabbing her keys, Jazz found Danni downstairs in the kitchen and jingled the key chain she held to get her attention, "Wanna' go find Danny?"

The girl was up like a shot, and Jazz could only laugh to herself over her enthusiasm as she followed after the halfa to her car. Nothing would put her in a better mood than finding Danny and maybe getting an ice cream, and Jazz felt that she just might need one too, 'Biggest question right now though, what does Sam have that the ghosts want?'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'This is nice,' Danny thought, trying to figure out how he was going to word it when he actually spoke out loud to Sam, 'I like doing this, we should do it more often, it's fun, I like you…I like being with you.'

"I like this, just hanging out and not worrying about school or ghosts or parents," Sam leaned a bit more against his shoulder and Danny immediately relaxed, happy that she had found a way to word what he couldn't seem to get out, "I wish that-mph?"

"No wishing 'cause Desiree might be around," Danny lowered his hand with an tiny grin on his face, "Sorry, but you just never know."

"It's alright," Sam sighed heavily, "I just meant that I _hope_ we can do this more. Is that better?"

"Much," the halfa smiled, then wrapped an arm around the girl, pulling her down as he fell backwards into the grass, "We haven't really gotten to do anything lately with…everything that's been happening. I like hanging out with you like this too, Sam."

'Every time he says my name,' the girl could only nod and smile as the tiniest of blushes spread over her cheeks, 'Every single time, I always get that feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not that I mind.'

A gentle finger started to trace over the contours of her face, and she turned to look at the young man beside her, watching as he felt along the lines of her nose and eyes and mouth with a contemplative look on his own countenance. The butterflies in Sam's stomach felt as though they were having a riot and by the time Danny stopped his exploration of her facial features and actually started to lean down for a kiss, Sam was sure she had forgotten to breath for a few seconds.

He stopped not even an inch away, smiling gently, teasingly and raised a single eyebrow at the girl, "You can't expect me to do all the work, Sam."

'That's a challenge if I ever heard one,' she thought as she met him, raising herself slightly to finish the journey to her lips. The kiss was soft, and chaste, though it didn't stay that way for long. As soon as she moved to pull back, Danny pressed down and kissed her much harder than she'd experienced before. As a matter of fact, it was hard enough to startle her into pushing him back, both panting slightly when he finally relented and moved back.

"Danny," Sam sat up the rest of the way, a confused frown settling over her face, 'He's never kissed me like that…it wasn't bad, but it's a bit…I don't know, much. It felt like he was trying to eat me alive or something.'

"Sorry," he mumbled and shook his head, running a hand through his hair and over his eyes as he forced himself to cool off, 'What the hell was I thinking? I don't even think I was thinking…what's wrong with me? I felt like I wanted to…no, no we're not going there. I'm the good guy, I don't possess things or take ownership of them, especially not people!'

"It's fine Danny, you just surprised me," she was tugging her shirt down a little to meet the top of the pants she was wearing that day, unsure of how Danny was feeling, "It was just a little…intimate. I mean, yeah we made out on that hill and we've kissed and stuff, but that was…different."

"I know, I'm sorry…I guess I'm just…," he paused for a moment to try and find a proper explanation other than 'just feeling like you're some sort of posession' because that would surely get Sam in a fine temper.

"Just a guy?" Sam suggested with a laugh, her fingers going to her lips, gently feeling the tender flesh of her lips, "It's fine…and honestly it wasn't bad or anything."

"Just don't surprise you again, huh?"

"I didn't say that," Sam looked down at her lap, then sideways at the halfa beside her with a coquettish gaze.

"Delicious," Danny smiled widely and wiggled his eyebrows, then started to dodge the small fists of a pissed off Sam aimed at his shoulder, "What? Oh come on, I couldn't resist it!"

"Yeah, well, you're gonna' wish you had now!"

It was all in good fun, and finally Danny had her pinned once again to the ground, both of her hands held tightly in his own to keep her from hitting him, albeit she was being rather gentle. One soft kiss and he let her up, wanting her to relax and hopefully not worry about his rather aggressive kiss from earlier. He couldn't put a finger on it, but possessiveness wasn't the only thing that had run through his mind at that moment.

'It was almost like reaching…,' he gazed up at the cloud, holding Sam against his side with one arm and brushing his fingers through the grass with the other, 'but for what?'

"Danny!"

The other resident halfa's voice drifted to him from just over the hill, and both boy and girl sat up in time to see Danni running to them with Jazz walking calmly behind, keys in hand signifying that she'd taken the time to drive and nothing was wrong. Danny let out a happy sigh at that point and fell back down into the grass, waiting for his sister, clone, adopted kid, cousin, _something _to get there. When it came to Danni, the halfa wasn't exactly sure where he stood relationship wise sometimes.

"Hey mini-me," he teased as she finally got to him, only to be rewarded with her pouncing on his stomach and heavily sitting there, smugly grinning at the 'Oof' sound she'd managed to force out of him, "What's…ugh…up, heavy kid?"

"I'm not heavy," she frowned down. Two more frowning female faces joined her and Danny decided that he should probably renege on his statement.

"Okay, I know, I was just teasing," he reached up and grabbed her, pushing her off as he sat up, stood up, and pulled her under one of his arms to swing her around, "You're really light actually, and I don't even have to use any powers to do this"

"Put me down, put me down!" she was screaming now, though laughter was bubbling through her distressed cries, "Meanie, you put me down!"

"Fine, fine," Danny finally placed her back down and both stood for a second trying to regain their balance. The two older girls got a good laugh out of the wobbling that was displayed before them, Danni nearly falling over had Sam not caught hold of her shoulder in time, "So what's up? You don't usually just find me to find me."

"We came to get some ice cream and see if you wanted some too," Jazz smiled, "And since Danni was trying to find you this morning, I figured we should try to find you out here."

"Yeah, it was the perfect day for the park, ya' know?" he looked around him, pleased that his day had been going so well, "So…ice cream with three of my four favorite girls in the world? It's every guys dream."

"Who's the fourth?" Danni teased, then watched as Sam rolled her eyes and smiled, "Who?"

"His Mom," Sam got out with a raised eyebrow and smirk, picking up her small backpack as she spoke, "Three of his favorite girls are related to him, and the fourth is one of the only girls that will put up with him. What's that saying?"

"It's saying it's time for some _delicious_ ice cream, Sam," the halfa winked playfully, then sidestepped Sam as she reached out to grab his shirt, "Wanna' share some with me?"

"Danny!"

"What?" he laughed, turning to see how bright red she'd turned and was rewarded with one of the prettiest blushes he'd seen on her yet, 'I love it when I get her to blush…'

"Enough with the mushy," Danni cut in between them, happily smiling up at Sam, "What kind of ice cream are you going to get?"

"Vanilla, the vegan kind, with sprinkles and little bat gummies," she smiled down at the girl, "What about you?"

"Strawberry!" the younger girl replied, "And maybe some bat gummies too…"

"Sounds good," Sam answered as they approached one of the local ice cream shops, "What about you two?"

"Chocolate with almonds," Jazz replied, a small smile on her face.

"Strawberry," the halfa rolled his eyes, "just like mini-me of course."

"Hey," Danni seemed affronted and folded her arms as she walked through the door that Danny was currently holding open for the girls, "I'm getting bat sprinkles like Sam is, so I'm not exactly like you."

'No, not exactly like Danny,' Jazz politely covered her mouth as a smile broke out at her thoughts, 'but you're turning into a nice combination of him and Sam…it's like watching my future niece, only not…'

They ordered quickly, getting their ice creams one by one in bowl or cup or cone and enjoying them the moment they were handed over. Jazz and Danny had a small argument over who would pay, during which Sam went ahead and handed over her credit card. That stopped the fight almost instantly, but soon started up a new one over 'Girls shouldn't pay,' Danny versus, 'I have more than enough to buy this place five times over,' Sam.

Halfway through, Sam scooted herself out of the booth she was in next to Danny and headed to the restroom. As soon as she left, Danni took her spot and continued with a story she'd been telling, "And then the kid that laughed at me when I fell on the porch saw me and started screaming like a girl about ghosts and how I was going to eat him…I followed him for a while and pulled his pants down, which made him scream again."

"Guess you got your revenge huh?" Danny savored another mouthful as he watched Danni nod, "Just don't make a habit of it, okay?"

"No way," the girl wrinkled her nose, "I'm not like those other ghosts. I don't need to scare people."

"Good," Jazz answered for Danny as his mouth was currently full, "We've had more than enough ghosts around. I'd have thought after you got rid of Undergrowth and got your new powers that there would have been even less ghosts wanting to attack…not more."

"Yeah, well," the halfa shrugged, "It worked for a while, and that's got to count for something. A lot of the ghosts don't even fight as hard anymore."

"Or maybe you're just getting stronger," Sam cut into the conversation, sitting beside Jazz now as Danni had taken her seat, "Didn't you say that your Mom's read out said that?"

"Yeah," he nodded, wondering if Sam would let it go or ask…

"So, who was Undergrowth? I never heard that story."

'Or not, which is typical Sam,' Danny sighed heavily to himself, frowning a bit and effectively silencing his sister. When it looked like Danni was about to answer for Sam, he let the tiniest bit of energy radiate from him, indicating he wasn't happy and Danni promptly shut her mouth. By that point Sam was glaring, 'Uh oh.'

"What? I can't hear this story or something?" she had a frustrated look on her face, and was ready to go on when Danny decided this wasn't the time or the place.

"Look, it's not something I want to talk about," he looked away from her then, ignoring the frowning faces all around him, "What are we gonna' do now? We all finished our ice cream."

"Let's head home, little bro," Jazz wasn't really ready to go, but felt like she needed to get them out into the open before the confined booth had their tempers boiling, "I have the car back at the park, so we can just walk back there and drive. It's not very far."

"I'll walk," Sam played with the last few bites of her ice cream, feeling completely put out and perturbed that no one would answer her and Danny would ignore her question so thoroughly, "I need the exercise after all that ice cream."

"I'll walk with you," Danni stood with her empty cup and took it to the trash can, "I need to work it off too."

"No you don't," Danny stood and ruffled her hair and hat on the way to the door, still enjoying his waffle cone and ignoring the outraged look on Danni's face, "C'mon Jazz, I'll walk you back to the car."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's cool," he shrugged, "I need to head to Tucker's anyways."

Starting out the door, the two pairs headed off in different directions, Danni and Sam chatting as they walked, while Danny and Jazz remained quite for most of their walk. At the car, Jazz started to talk to her brother, but was quickly denied the chance.

"Danny, don't you think you should tell-"

"Not yet," the boy shook his head, "Not with everything else that's happening. I mean, what if she gets the wrong idea?"

He didn't say another word, just started walking, which effectively ended their conversation. Jazz sat in her car for a minute, listening to the music on the radio and thinking over Danny's choice. Yes, it could be a good thing that he waited until everything calmed down to talk with Sam, or it could come back to haunt him later, 'No pun intended, of course. I guess it's his choice. I just hope you know what you're doing little brother.'

A knock on her window brought her out of her thoughts quickly, and she was surprised to see Sam standing beside her car…and Danni already in the front seat rolling down her window for Sam to speak, "I forgot that we brought a thermos with us to give to Tucker since he lost his last one to that magnet ghost. I'm gonna' catch up to Danny and I'll see you two later."

"See you later," both girls chirped and Sam was on her way, walking calmly in the direction that Danny had gone.

"Ready to go?" Jazz looked over to find Danni already buckled in and nodding, "Alright, we're off."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Almost to Tucks,' Danny sighed, his hands tucked deep within his pockets and a frown on his face as he walked. He hadn't meant to be so short with Sam or his sister, 'I'm just not ready to tell her…I don't want her getting the wrong idea about what happened or anything and I always stick my foot in my mouth. That's the last thing I need right now, girl problems on top of ghost problems…'

"Hey!" he bumped into someone accidentally as he was lost in his thoughts, "Watch it!"

"Sorry," Danny looked up and apologized quickly, surprised to see Valerie gingerly rubbing her shoulder, "Hey Val, wow, I'm really sorry…I was kinda' lost in thought and I didn't even see you…"

"I figured," she chuckled gently, noticing the current lack of Sam's in the vicinity and Danny's troubled face, "You okay?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, realizing she wasn't talking about his physical state at that moment, "Just got some stuff on my mind. Ya' know, I'm a space cadet."

A gentle laugh flowed over him and soothed him somewhat, her familiarity in that moment something stable for him to hold on to as he calmed his thoughts enough to talk with a friend, "Well, you always did want to be an astronaut. We were always talking about it…"

"Yeah, yeah," he laughed back, "I kinda' miss those talks with you…"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Okay, now Tucker lives two more blocks that way,' Sam found the corner she wanted to turn left at and confidently headed on, hoping to catch Danny before he made it all the way there, 'Maybe I can pry it out of him…he changed the subject all of a sudden so it has to be something really interesting.'

Rounding the corner found Sam looking down the sidewalk to where Danny and Valerie stood talking, "Yeah, yeah. I kinda' miss those talks with you…"

"Oh, um," Valerie found herself blushing ever so lightly, and Sam tightened her hold on the backpack strap she had slung over her shoulder, "I miss talking with you too. We had some really good conversations."

"Yeah, we did," the boy mused, smiling happily as he thought over old times and fond memories, glad that they were finally healing the rift between them and acting as friends once more, "Listen, I have to run to Tucker's, but I'm glad I bumped into you."

"Me too," Valerie laughed and touched her shoulder, "but next time, let's try not to be so literal, okay?"

"Yeah, sorry again," the halfa winced, "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, we'll probably see each other around," she smiled once more and Sam darted into the cover of a store before she would be seen, gladly missing out on the parting smile between the two.

'I'm not jealous,' Sam took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and waited for Valerie to pass her hiding place before heading out after Danny, surprised to see him still standing in the same spot and looking up thoughtfully, 'I am _not_ jealous! This is ridiculous, they just had a nice conversation. I should be happy for Danny, I saw how much it hurt him that Valerie was acting the way she did and now they're finally starting to be friends again…'

At that thought though, doubts began to rush into Sam's mind as was only natural. Friends is what she and Danny had started off as. Friends that wound up liking one another, friends that kissed, friends that went on a date, 'Dear God, I'm a friend with benefits…'

Danny turned at that moment to catch Sam blushing wildly, and smiled a cutely confused smile in her direction, "Hey Sam, where'd you come from?"

"Oh, the…the thermos," she fumbled with her backpack for a moment before she finally got it open and tossed him the item, "You forgot to take it to Tucker, so I thought I'd catch up…but you were talking to Valerie, and I didn't mean to eavesdrop so I…"

"Hey, it's cool," he interrupted her rambling, curious as to what had shaken her up enough to get her rambling, "We were just talking about…old stuff. Nothing important."

He shrugged and Sam couldn't help wondering if it really wasn't important to him or if he was just trying to make her feel better. They stood for a moment, five feet separating them, but to Sam it felt like an ocean's length as she was suddenly unsure about her entire relationship with the boy in front of her.

"Oh well," she broke eye contact with Danny, and shook her head at how silly she was being, 'He said it was nothing, so that's what it is. You can't blame the guy for remembering something, especially since they were together for a year!'

"Um, you wanna' come with me to Tucker's?" Danny was looking at the ground just as she was, aware that he'd been caught in a compromising situation and ever thankful to Sam that she had taken it so well, 'If it had been the other way around Val would have been pissed and chewing me out…Sam's just…chill about it.'

"I guess," Sam took a few steps towards Danny, relieved when he smiled, "but I can't stay for long. I promised Danni a game of scrabble. I think she wanted you and Jazz to play too actually."

"Probably," Danny grabbed for Sam's hand and started walking, tugging her along with him, "C'mon, the sooner we get to Tucker's the sooner we get back and have our butts handed to us by Jazz in scrabble. She's the reigning queen right now."

"You never know," Sam smirked, thinking of the long hours she spent playing the same game with her very verbose grandmother, "there might be a new champion in town."

"Now that's just delicious," Danny nodded and smiled, enjoying how Sam blushed but didn't protest the use of the word this time. He'd let her off the hook…eventually.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Suzie?"

"Yes, Mr. Masters?" she smiled sweetly for the older man and stood at the ready with paper and pen and calendar, 'I swear to everything and anything listening that if he calls me in here to get him another cup of coffee I'm going to make sure it's boiling hot and pour it over his head!'

It had obviously been a very busy, very stressful day.

"I'd like for you to make sure that tomorrow and the next day are clear," he leaned back at his desk, fingertips touching in front of him as he thought, "I would like to pay the Fentons another visit, so please clear my calendar and reschedule anything that you need to as you deem fit. I'll make the arrangements myself, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Yes sir, I'd be glad to," she started looking over the indicated Wednesday and Thursday, noticing that not much had actually been scheduled those days and thanked her lucky stars, "I don't think we'll have any problems rescheduling anything Mr. Masters."

"Good, good," the man answered absentmindedly, reaching for the cup of coffee he'd had her fetch not five minutes before, only to knock it over in his distraction.

The shout of "Ginger Snaps!" had everyone leaning out of their offices to look down the hall to the largest room at the end, where Suzie was hurriedly walking out with a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter and Vlad Masters was dancing around and waving his hand, the scalding hot coffee still dripping off of the arm of his suit and hand.

It had been a stressful day…

"Sugar cookies, that hurt!"

…but it was suddenly all worth it.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"And…we're…done!" Jack turned the wrench for the last time, happily securing the last nut and bolt in place. The original plans that they'd created to revamp their security system had been added to over the past week and a half, more at the insistence of Maddie than anything else. The happy smile on her face made it all worthwhile, and as he reached to turn the entire system on, the rush of pride running through him felt good.

"Here we go," and he pressed the button.

A buzzing sound and flash of light later and they were standing in the dark as three female and one male voice from upstairs let out a shock of dismay and one ghost in the basement let out a chuckle at their misfortune.

The only fortunate thing that Jack could think of was that the ghosts containment field ran on it's own power, and never needed to be charged by electricity, 'He'd be doing a lot more than chuckling if he could get out…I think maniac laughter would be what he'd choose…'

"We shorted out the system," Maddie sighed from his left as she felt for the emergency power generator switch, managing to get the power back up a few moments later, "We'll need to order some parts…"

"Then we'll order them," Jack pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead, "We'll figure this out and it'll be better than ever! The new and improved Fenton Automatic Defense System!"

"FADS, huh?" Maddie smiled up at her husband, "Don't we already have the acronym FAD for something dear?"

"Probably," he smiled, "but it doesn't have an 's' on it!"

"Of course, sweetie," Maddie laughed, and listened as upstairs a fight broke out over playing the word 'Nasa', "Of course."

The ghost just sat in his containment cage sneering, watching the happy couple with murder in his eyes. It was getting to be more and more important for the new line of defense to be raised in Maddie's mind because those eyes weren't just on her…no, they were on Jack and she would do everything in her power to keep her husband safe.

"We'll need to come up with the money somehow," she sighed unhappily, "It always comes back to money, doesn't it?"

"Look at it this way, baby," Jack slowly began to walk her back upstairs, smiling down gently at her and reminding her why she loved him so much, "We may never be rich, but at least we'll be safe and happy."

"You're right," she nodded and went to stand at the kitchen door to watch the kids in the living room, "That's the most important thing. Far more important than being right, though you have to admit…it would be nice."

"Definitely," Jack laughed, "Just think of all the fudge…mmm, fudge."

"That's it!" Sam shouted as she shot Jack a huge smile, one of the largest that Maddie had ever seen on the girl's face, "F-U-D-G-E! I win, I'm out and I win!"

"What?" Jazz looked over the board, a frantic look crossing her face, "No, I was going to play monologue! Monologue! Do you know how many points that is?"

"I know," Sam smirked, blushing at the kiss that Danny planted on her cheek in celebration that she won, "That's why I had to win now or all would have been lost."

"Yeah, now Sam's the Queen of Scrabble, Jazz," Danny laughed, trying to distract himself and keep from blushing as well, 'Why'd I just do that? In front of Mom and Dad too, craaaap…now I'm gonna' get 'The Talk' again.'

'Why'd he do that in front of everybody?' Sam was scrambling for an answer in her mind, though physically she was calmly sitting back and letting everyone talk about her win and why the power went out, 'Great, now I'm confused again. Why is that I'm in a constant state of confusion around you Danny?'

Said boy was faring little better, and every time they caught one another's eyes a blush would crop up, 'This kinda' sucks…but it's kinda' fun,' he averted his eyes again and relished the tumbling feeling in his stomach, the rush of excitement that had suddenly appeared between them, much as it had the few times he'd seen her as Phantom and she'd not known who he was, 'Definitely fun. This…is a good thing. Maybe things are going to get better…and maybe Sam'll want to go out again soon.'

Danny, apparently, was unfamiliar with the term, 'Jinx.'

The rest of the evening was spent in good company, happy conversation, and almost entirely ecto-free snacks. As the phone began to ring, Maddie popped up to get it, her voice a lilting sound against the rapid fire exchange of the adolescents occupying the room. The smile on her face when she returned caught the attention of everyone present and all sat awaiting the good news. Their own eager smiles loosed her tongue.

"Vlad just called and is coming in tomorrow for a visit!" she crooned and didn't notice as four faces fell, looking only at Jack as his grin grew, "I can't wait!"

"Yeah," Danny sighed, then smiled bravely as Sam lay a comforting hand on his arm, "Me either."


	6. Theory

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Don't forget, gentle readers, that Vlad is no longer the Vlad Masters/Plasmius that we knew from before. His personality is changing, returning to what it was before he became the bitter halfa we met in the show. It's as though he's getting over his twenty years of angst and separation from his friends Maddie and Jack. He's not completely rehabilitated though, lol…but you'll find that out as time passes in this story and the next.

So sorry it took so long...school has decided to devour my soul. Oh well. Typos? Tell me!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Six: Theory**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"This sucks," Danny stood at his window Wednesday morning, watching as the rain fell in a soft screen of gray, thunder gently rolling though no lightening was to be seen. A morning thunderstorm had never seemed more appropriate, "I can't even get out of the house today to get away…hopefully it clears up later."

Downstairs, Vlad already sat chatting with his parents and enjoying a strong pot of morning Fenton coffee, which differed greatly from afternoon Fenton coffee and evening Fenton coffee of course. The once arch-nemesis was amicably visiting just below his feet, and Danny couldn't stand it, 'Something _has_ to be going on. Vlad does not just visit to visit…except for last time, which still bothers me. Stupid fruit loop.'

"Danny, Mom wants to know if you're ever going to come down," Jazz popped her head into his room, speaking as softly as she could manage, and was met with the rather pathetic sight of her younger sibling wasting away at his window, "Geeze Danny, you look like your pining for a lost love or something. What's up with you?"

"Vlad is here again," the halfa pointed out the obvious in a whisper, "Downstairs, right now, talking to Mom and Dad like nothing ever happened between him and me or them or anything."

"Actually," the girl shifted nervously, reaching up to play with the ends of her hair that were draped over her shoulder, "Um, he came to talk to you he said. So Mom wanted to know when you're going to come down…"

"As soon as I figure out what to do with Danni," the young man cast a glance to where the girl was curled up on his bed, "She kept having nightmares last night and ended up in here with me, but you knew that. Sorry I woke you up last night."

"It's fine," Jazz sat on the edge of his bed, careful to not disturb the young girl's slumber, "She sleep better in here with you?"

"Yeah," Danny nodded and looked back out his window, his hand traveling to his pocket, "I don't want her to be here while Vlad's around, and apparently when she went to throw the Box Ghost back into the ghost zone in the lab, Plasmius threatened her. She said she didn't tell anyone because she didn't want to worry us, but she started having nightmares and all that…I don't think it would be a good thing for anyone if Masters and Danni saw each other."

"Well, maybe she could stay with Tucker or Sam or something," Jazz reached over and gently brushed Danni's bangs from her forehead, "She really does look like you when you were younger. I'm surprised that Mom and Dad don't say anything about it, you know?"

"Mom and Dad don't say much about anything anyways," he looked confused for a moment, then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket he'd put his hand into earlier, "Maybe Sam can help…"

Jazz ducked out of the room while Danny dialed the number, counting four rings before Sam picked up on her end, "Morning Sam."

"Morning," she answered back, then yawned slightly, "What time is it?"

"Seven fifteen," the halfa answered, fighting back a yawn of his own, "Sorry I woke you up, but Vlad got here at seven and I haven't gotten Danni out of the house yet. I didn't think he'd be here until later, but apparently he made arrangements to stay here today and tonight and tomorrow."

"So you need some help, hm?" she sounded more awake, though still ready to fall back asleep at any moments notice, "Why don't I come over and get her? She can stay here with me. Mom and Dad won't even notice, and the staff won't mind as long as she doesn't make too much of a mess of her room."

"I don't want to um, just dump her on you or anything," he glanced back towards the bed, slightly worried about what the child would think of him placing her so suddenly in another home. She had asked last night though, if it would be terrible of her to just disappear for a while. Danni knew how he had come to dislike that, as he found he felt responsible for her well being, and this time he'd said no. Especially with all the other ghosts out and about.

"Danny, I wouldn't offer it if it was a problem," Sam snapped him out of his reverie with a sigh, "I have more than enough room, and it's not like it's going to be some sort of a financial strain. I mean, I could take care of her on my allowance alone. Not that I'm bragging."

"I know," Danny chuckled, enjoying her last statement and the way she sounded a bit worried about how it came out, "Listen, I'm gonna' let her sleep for a while longer, so I guess if you come around eleven or ten…whatever you want. But uh, you think you could manage to sneak in somehow so Vlad doesn't see you or her?"

"Sneak _in _to FentonWorks?" Sam rolled over in her bed, laughing to herself, "I'll figure something out. Why don't you just go up to the roof and let Danni fly down or something? Gets her out of the house, without the alarms going off or anything, and away from Vlad."

"Might do that," the young man nodded to himself, then smiled, "I'll keep an eye out for you and make sure she's at least awake. I'm glad that you offered though."

"Why?"

"Because…I know that you'll take care of her and I don't really have to worry," he stumbled over his statement as he often did when it came to something dealing with emotions he didn't understand, "I feel like I'm not _just _the donor of her DNA, you know? The past year or so that she's been alive, I've been the one that she comes to when she needs something or a place to stay, and I hate it when she goes off alone. At first, I didn't really care, but then I started thinking about what I was letting her do. Sometimes it's like she's my sister and sometimes it's like she's something more."

"Something more how?" Sam sat up, a tiny grin flickering over her face at how adorable Danny could be at times, "You feel responsible for her, huh?"

"Yeah, like she's my kid somehow, but it's more of an adopted kid than a kid I've, uh, _had_," he was blushing slightly, certain thoughts pertaining to having kids and Sam being on the other end of the line floating through his mind, "Anyways, I'm glad it's you."

"She's a sweet kid," Sam nodded to herself, "and I'm glad I could help out somehow. Now get off the phone and let me sleep some more. If I don't have to be there until ten, then I have another two and a half hours."

"Alright, Sam…and don't forget to bring an umbrella or something, okay?

"M'kay."

"Bye."

"Bye," and her voice was gone, replaced with a 'click' and the dial tone of the phone. Danny hung up as well and glanced once more at Danni on his bed. Before he left his room, he scribbled a quick note warning her to stay upstairs until he came to get her and to pack whatever she had because she was going to Sam's. He could already picture the smile on the little girl's face at the thought of her extended sleepover.

Another roll of thunder sent Danny on his way, down the stairs and to the all too happy scene in the living room where Jack was regaling them all with some tale or other about being Cheese-heads with Vlad in his youth. Laughter bubbled from his mother and Vlad didn't look her way longingly, making Danny pause and watch for a moment longer.

They were simply talking, enjoying the company of a college colleague and friend, and it seemed too easy to Danny that Vlad was suddenly more the long time friend of his parents than his arch nemesis that was bent on retribution, 'I don't like this…and I don't trust that jerk of a fruit loop.'

"Ah, Danny, good morning," Vlad, of course, seemed to catch his presence first, "Trying to sleep in with the weather, eh?"

"Something like that," the boy wearily made his way to the couch and planted himself beside his mother, watching as Vlad's eyes stayed on him and never strayed to the woman. It gave Danny a little relief, and he finally started to believe that perhaps the man was no longer interested…but he'd been fooled before, 'And I'll be damned before I let that man fool me again. Especially when it comes to my friends and family.'

"Why the long face, Danny boy?" his father paused in his contemplation of an old album of pictures, looking to be from the mid-eighties, "Weather got you down?"

"Something like that," Danny shrugged, then looked between the album and his father, "Where'd you get that?"

"Oh, it was just something I dug up the other night," Vlad shrugged elegantly, then returned to looking over a few of the photos he was holding himself, one of them a picture of Danny's parents and himself happily stationed in front of their laboratory workstation, "It has been far too long since I last reviewed these years of my life."

For once, Danny wholeheartedly believed the man beside him. His face was in such earnest over this small sentiment that the boy nearly felt the pain…he'd felt it himself though in different manners at a much different time of his life, "How long did you look at them?"

"A very long time, and it was very complicated to say the least," Vlad's thumb passed over Maddie's face, then he smiled up at the woman herself, "Already in the fifteen minutes that I've been here I've been chatting with your parents and apologizing a great deal."

"Ah, V-Man, you don't gotta' worry," Jack cut in, sliding over to sit on the arm of the couch and wrapping his wife in a hug, "When you've got the prettiest wife there is, you can't help it if other people fall in love with her too."

"Oh Jack," Maddie stood with a small blush, then turned to Danny, "Was that why you and Jazz never really liked it when we saw Vlad?"

"Yeah Mom," Jazz cut in quickly before Danny could get a word out, "We just…it felt really uncomfortable because we felt like we were the only ones who could see it."

"I really must apologize for that," Vlad made an attempt at seeming sincere, though Danny knew that glint in the man's eye too well to know that it was truthful. Jazz, too, seemed to realize this as she simply nodded and curtly excused herself from the room. Danny stayed rooted to his spot and watched Masters carefully.

'Either he isn't obsessing over her or he is,' Danny heaved a mental sigh as he continued to listen to his parents chat and laugh about old times, and more recent ones that they'd missed out on with one another, 'It can't be both…it doesn't work like that.'

The chatter died off as Danny became increasingly more uncomfortable and fidgety. Realizing that the only reason that Danny was even there was Vlad's need to speak with him spurred Maddie into action, getting up with her cup of coffee in her hands, tugging a reluctant Jack along with her, "Danny, we'll be in the ops center while you two talk. Vlad has some very interesting news and he wanted to be the one to tell you."

It was silent until the halfa was sure that his mother was out of earshot, and only then did he turn with a burning glare to the older man, "What do you want now?"

"Just to inform you of my intentions so you'll be less suspicious…or perhaps more," Vlad smiled as though amused by what he had said and raised the cup of coffee to his lips, carefully blowing across the warm liquid before taking a sip, "You may take it as you wish of course, but either way I'm sure to get a good deal of entertainment, as well as perhaps a turn of profit and an investment, in the process."

"What are you talking about?" Danny watched the older man incredulously, "Vlad if you're gonna' try something, I swear to God that you'll-"

"Regret it?" a shadowed look crossed his face, aging him greatly in that one moment and prominently displaying his graying hair, the fine wrinkles around his mouth and eyes, the slightly slower manner in which he was moving, "Daniel, there are too many things I regret already. That is not to say that I'm afraid of you."

"You should be," the words were out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying, and a thought flittered through his mind about how aggressive he was being, and how it had been happening more and more lately, though he hadn't really talked to anyone about it.

"More than likely," a small smile quirked the lips of the businessman, "though you should realize that I'm not completely helpless. Speaking of which, how is your dear friend Samantha?"

'What does she have to do with anything?' it was a worrisome thought, "She's fine. Why?"

"Because I thought you might like to know that she's at the window trying to get your attention for some reason or other. Her reflection in the television's glass front seems to indicate that."

"What?" Danny turned his head only the tiniest bit, the window in plain view for him and at an angle to Vlad, "Sam?"

Hurrying to the door, Danny listened to the chuckle coming from behind him and ignored it, getting to Sam being the number one priority at the moment. He threw open the door to find her standing at the window still, drenched and looking slightly confused as to why he'd come to greet her, "I thought the plan was to be as inconspicuous as possible?"

"And I thought you were going to bring an umbrella," he stated as he pulled her up onto the porch and phased all the water from her clothes and hair and skin. The frown on her face brought her question back to mind, "And Vlad saw you standing at the window trying to get my attention, so that whole on the sly thing ain't going to work."

"Shame," Sam said as she stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind herself and Danny, "I'll just head up to your room or see what Jazz is doing until your done with your guest."

The disgust in her voice was obvious as she mentioned the word 'guest'. She's never really had to deal with the man other than their meeting in the hallway, but she had heard a great many stories from Danny and Tucker both, with a few side comments from Jazz whenever she was around. She had decided that Vlad was easily not her favorite person.

"Oh we're almost done my dear," the man appeared from the kitchen where he'd taken his empty coffee cup, waiting for the halfa and his companion to return, "A pleasure to see you again, Ms. Manson."

"Of course," Sam replied just as coolly as the older man, calling on all the social skills she had unwillingly acquired over the years of living with her parents, "Danny said you're going to be staying…for a few days."

"Yes, actually I have been wanting to visit with my friends a bit more now that I have…less on my plate, though in a way I have a great deal more at stake in this visit," he nodded his head slightly to Danny to indicate that his next statement was aimed more towards him, "I have decided that I should be far more present in your life than I have been in the past."

"Say what?" Sam snapped out before Danny could even process what had been said, "After all the things I've heard about, I say you shouldn't even be within twenty miles of Danny!"

"Very thoughtful, but I assure you that this decision is for the good of many, though my motives are only for the good of myself," Vlad smiled enigmatically as Sam Manson bristled visibly and Danny's fists clenched at his side, "I wish to be an influence in your life, where school and your social standing and such is concerned, as opposed to the constant…problem that I was before. I will be around, be here, and be in your life to help you…and myself of course."

"I don't believe you," the halfa shook his head, stepping closer to Sam to cover her slightly from Vlad's view as he had a habit of doing. A tingle of electricity ran through his skin as his anger started to get the better of him. Sam quietly sucked in a breath of air and held it, wondering at why she had shuttered at the feeling and wanted to shy away from the boy, no, the halfa standing in front of her.

"A wise choice," the man shook his head with a wry grin, "I won't deny that my presence will not be what you want or any less problematic in some areas. I do so enjoy making you squirm, the little games that can be played…"

"Well _I _don't like them," a glance was thrown back over his shoulder to Sam, who was on a mild simmer but could boil over at any second, her hand coming up to fist itself into the folds of the back of his t-shirt, "Especially when they involve family or friends."

"I've noticed," Vlad looked down at himself with a wry grin, raising his eyebrow, "I believe that my last threat brought about the current…punishment that I've been enduring, though admittedly, it hasn't been as horrible as I thought. I actually congratulate you on such a quick, well thought out plan. You impressed me a great deal that night and made me see even more of myself in you. Intelligence, cunning, capable of making your thoughts happen…_ruthless_."

"I am _not_ like _you_, Vlad. I will _never_ be like you," Danny could feel his eyes burning into a familiar green at that moment, and forced himself to calm before any of the machines his parents had slowly been starting to activate were set off. Behind him, Sam shivered, "You aren't welcome here. I don't care if you want to be a part of my life, I don't want you in it."

"You won't really have a choice, as this is not your house," Vlad leaned in closer, whispering to the child who was quickly becoming a man standing in front of him, "You are right to fear Little Badger, but what you fear at the moment is change, and that is never the wisest path. Don't trust me, but don't fail to seize an opportunity when it is presented."

"Get out of my face," the halfa angrily whispered back, unsure of why he was keeping his voice lowered, "and get out of my life, Vlad."

"Sorry," he smirked and straightened, heading towards the stairs to go up to the ops center, intent on visiting with his friends, "Can't. Ta for now, you two."

Danny stood shaking where he had been left until Sam quietly pushed him forward and towards the stairs, her hand still attached to the back of his shirt the entire way to his room. She was shaking, Danny could feel it on his back, but couldn't decide if it was from anger or fear, 'How dare he?'

It was the one thought that echoed through his mind all the way up the stairs, down the hall, through the door, and as he sat heavily on his bed to look down on the still sleeping Danni. He'd been downstairs a total of perhaps thirty minutes, which made it only seven forty five, 'Why is Sam here?'

Turning, he found her very quietly closing his door and locking it, glancing back over her shoulder as she walked to his side as though fearful of something bursting through. Her eyes were downcast and she was thinking hard, her brow wrinkling as it always did accenting this fact, "Why is _he _here?"

"He wants to make sure that I know that I haven't gotten rid of him yet," the boy sighed heavily and checked over Danni's sleeping form again. The thought of her still being in the house when Vlad lurked so close bothered him, as did the fact that Sam was here as well. Vlad was just upstairs, waiting, watching, preparing, "That he's going to 'be around' like he said."

Danny felt trapped.

"Why are you here so early anyways?" the question fell quietly from his lips as he felt Sam sink onto the edge of the bed beside him, "You said you were going to sleep in today…"

"I was," Sam started slowly, leaning slightly against his side, "My Mom decided that I needed to be up and facing the day, so I thought I might as well come over here and get Danni. Then she forbade me leave the house in this 'horrid, disagreeable weather', her words, not mine. I hauled it out of the house as fast as I could, and here I came, soaked."

"I'm sorry I called you this morning," Danny's face met his hands halfway and he hid in them, feeling miserably and cowardly all at once, "I should have waited, or dealt with it myself, or called Tucker. I'm sorry I ruined your morning."

"You're putting words in my mouth," she teased gently, prying his hands away and forcing her halfa to look at her, then pulled back as he leveled a displeased look her way, "I mean, you didn't ruin it…I kinda' just wanted to see you sometime today."

"Thanks," he smiled, "I needed that right now. At least someone wants to see me without ulterior motives."

"Who said I don't have ulterior motives?"

"Who said the two of you could talk while I'm trying to sleep?" Danni's sleepy head popped up from the pillows, her hair in absolute disarray, much to Danny's pleasure. He reached over and ruffled it further, grinning maliciously at her snarling frown and taking back the note he'd left attatched to her forehead earlier.

"Who let you sleep in their bed last night, squirt?"

A pillow to his head was the girl's response as Sam sat trying to keep her laughter to herself. Glancing over at the clock, Sam decided that it was as good a time as any to truly begin her day and get Danni squared away…somewhere far, far away from her creator, "Listen you two, it's breakfast time and I'm ready to eat, what do you say you get up Danni and get all your stuff that you're going to take to my house?"

"Your house?" the girl looked between the two teens, cute confusion rolling across her face in tiny wrinkles, "I'm going to your house?"

"You're gonna' stay with her until we get rid of Vlad," Danny snorted the man's name, displeased with the entire situation, "That way you don't have to deal with him and he won't even know you're here. I was going to wake you up after while, but Sam got here before I could, so uh…surprise?"

"This is great!" the young girl leapt forward and grabbed Danny around the neck, surprising the boy with the impromptu hug, "I get to spend the night at a girl's house…I get to have a sleepover!"

"Yeah, it'll be fun," Sam tried to smile as the images of what a sleepover usually pertained to floated through her head, "Just don't expect me to talk about boys and hair and do your makeup or anything. I was actually going to give you your own room, but if you want to stay in my room, by all means…the floor's pretty comfy."

"My own room?"

The girl's jaw was in danger of hitting the floor and Danny was turning blue from the chokehold she had on his neck. Her own room, a personal place to call her very own. Privacy. A place to return to. Home.

She couldn't have been more pleased, and Sam took her silence as a happy, positive response, "Well, hurry up, we still have breakfast to get to. Are you going to come with us Danny?"

"No," he pried the girl off his neck, watching as she dazedly started to gather things she'd left in his room, "I'm going to hang around for a while and see what Vlad's up to. I don't really want him down around the other 'him' without me around, and it's sort of weird that he's admitted to Dad the he liked Mom…"

"He did?" Sam watched, her emotions flickering between disgust and amusement, "It went okay, though?"

"I guess," Danny shrugged as his clone finished packing _her _things in _his _backpack, "Hey, that's mine you little runt! Get your own!"

"Nah," she laughed, then ran to the other side of Sam to hide, "I like this one. I'm ready Sam!"

"Then let's go," she smiled towards the two halfas in the room, grinning at how they were acting like siblings and sticking their tongues out at one another, "You think we can get together with Tucker later and hang out?"

"Sure," he smiled thankfully, ready to pounce on any opportunity to get out of the house later that day. His nerves were already raw and he was certain that by the end of the day he'd be going crazy with Vlad around, "Maybe dinner tonight at the Nasty Burger to just hang out."

"I'm supposed to hang out with Jazz tonight!" Danni cut in at that moment, upset with herself for forgetting, "How're we gonna' do that with Vlad around?"

"I'll talk to her about it and see if she can meet you at Sam's. How about that?"

"Sounds perfect," Danni grinned, then grabbed Sam's hand and headed for the door, "See ya' later!"

"Bye," he grinned at Sam's rolling eyes and emerging smile, "Have fun and see you around six!"

"Will do," she replied and then was gone, making it out of the house without any close encounters of the Vlad kind, which left Danny breathing a little easier.

'Two girls safe and out of the house,' he turned towards Jazz's door, shaking his head slightly at the quiet, rhythmic tapping of computer keys that was coming from her room, 'One more to talk to, and then on to playing spy on Vlad the rest of the afternoon. Joy.'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Ms. Manson," a sharp rap notified her to a wait staff's presence at her door, and let Danni know that she needed to stop her mini-display of her skills and powers, "There is a Fenton waiting for you and your young guest downstairs."

"Coming!" Sam answered quickly so the young woman wouldn't be tempted to enter, "I'm coming right now."

"Yes ma'am," and the quiet sound of footsteps faded away from her door and left Danni grinning, yet again, at the fact that Sam was, as she put it, 'ridiculously, absolutely, amazingly, filthy, wonderfully rich!'. An amused snort was all that Sam had dignified that statement with, wondering if Danny felt something similar when he found out, but with a few more years of maturity decided not to voice it.

The girl was already dancing in front of her as they headed out her door towards the stairs, the softness of the carpet already having inspired Danni to prance around playfully on more than one occasion that morning and afternoon. Lunch had been an equally interesting ordeal. And Sam did indeed mean 'ordeal'.

'Didn't this kid live with Vlad? Isn't he really well to do and all that?' she laughed to herself as Danni mounted the banister and slid all the way down to the horror of the butler and maids, 'She probably didn't get to be as free though…Vlad saw her as a means to an end, so I guess she wouldn't have had many benefits. She's lived on her own lately too…'

Taking it all into account, it really wasn't any wonder that Danni had instantly fallen in love with the idea of her own room and food whenever she wanted it from the kitchens and people to wait on her hand and foot. She had fallen in love with the idea of a place to be herself, and Sam felt proud that she could give that to this child, this person who lived in hardship, but accepted her fate. Danni had an indomitable spirit, just as Danny had.

It was little wonder that she was falling more for Danny every day, especially since she could witness unrestrained bits of his personality through the child happily talking with Jazz.

"Well, we'd better get going if we're going to catch that matinee movie," the older girl smiled, "We're going to get some dinner tonight too, so we might run into you at the Nasty Burger. Well, there or at one of the other places around town."

Jazz, Sam noticed, was actually alright, as though having Vlad Masters in their house all day hadn't bothered her a bit. That, Sam though, was a bit odd in and of itself, "Hey Jazz, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," she smiled, then turned to Danni, "Go ahead and get to the car, I'll be right out."

The girl was gone quickly with a nod and smile, leaving Jazz and Sam standing in the foryer, "So what's up? How was having Vlad around all day?"

"He's been over before," Jazz frowned thoughtfully, "but this time it was like having a normal guest. I think we're just trying to adjust to the fact that he isn't after Mom and trying to murder Dad, and…Danny's having a hard time with that. The change is so drastic, it just seems weird, but it happened with Danny when he was split, so I don't see why we shouldn't believe it."

"Danny did say that the Vlad down in the lab, um…Plasmius, was more obsessed with your mom than before," Sam shook her head, already tired from trying to figure it all out, "I guess it makes sense, but I don't blame Danny for not trusting the guy who kept trying to kill him."

"Honestly, I don't know what to think," Jazz sighed heavily, just as worn down as Sam when it came to this subject, "I do think that he's changed in that one way, though he's still after something. I guess I'm more worried about the fact that he's focusing on Danny even more now."

"You and me both," Sam looked towards the door, "I guess there's not a lot we can do though right now. Your miniature copy of Danny is waiting for you to feed her. And you guys were right, she's a mini-Danny to the tee almost."

"That's our Danni," Jazz smiled heading out the door, "Talk to you later!"

"Bye," and Sam was heading back up the stairs to call Tucker and make sure he knew where they were meeting and the like. In all, she was actually looking forward to it as they hadn't been able to hang out as the group of three she had come to be a part of in quite a while. She adored Danni, but was secretly glad she was an only child, 'How the heck do Jazz and Danny survive being brother and sister?'

She laughed wryly to herself as she thought, 'Years of practice and tons of sibling rivalry…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"I've heard that you won't be joining your parents and I for dinner tonight," Danny jumped as Vlad's voice came unexpectedly from his doorway, startling him out of getting ready for his evening out with his friends, "A shame really as I had plans to talk more to you afterwards, but I suppose that now is as good as any."

"I don't want to talk with you," Danny went back to pulling socks out of his drawer and sitting down in his computer chair to put them on, "I'm already late, thanks, so I don't really have the time to sit around and _chat _with you."

"Of course, no time for an old man with whom you've had past interaction seen as iniquities," a tiny wince was apparent, and Danny again found himself seeing it as a real sentiment, "I find that I now have the problem of convincing you that I am no longer after your or your father's blood, nor you mother. I don't care to try with words however because you have little trust in me."

"You got that right," the boy snorted and stood, slipping his wallet into his back pocket and reaching for a thermos to take with him at the same time. Vlad, however, was nonplused and kept on, following Danny downstairs to where his shoes were waiting, "You're wasting your time."

"Daniel, I'm trying to tell you that _I_ am not the one you should be watching where your family is concerned…or at least, not just yet," his voice was cold, stern, and caught Danny's attention immediately as his eyes drifted towards the floor, casting his glance down to not the floor, but to where the basement laboratory lay below, "Do not trust me, nor…well, me."

"I already know that," Danny was ferociously tying up his left shoe, stumbling in the simple task twice as he tried to move too quickly, "Now leave me alone."

"Boy, you don't take me seriously enough now that you think you don't have to fear me," their eyes met and Danny stood, ignoring the fact that one of his shoes still wasn't tied, "I still want the same thing from you bu-"

"I am _not _going to help you take over the world or be your little pawn to gain my mother's approval," the boy spat out, utterly fed up with Vlad's presence in his house and not caring that he had interrupted the older man, "I don't care how many times you tell me you're not still in love with her. I don't care that you like my Dad again all of a sudden. I don't care that you haven't tried anything all day today or the last time you were here. All I know is that the last time I even put a little trust in you I was stabbed in the back quicker than I thought you could."

"_But_, as I was saying, I want the same thing though in a more business way," Vlad eyed the boy critically as he blushed and bent over his shoe again, "You are an investment Danny, an opportunity for me in new ventures. However, they're in more of a…how should I put this? More of a profit turning in the business world way than a world domination way. Think of it as a global market domination rather than the alternative and I and you both shall be happy enough."

"I'm not going around overshadowing people just so they'll sell you their businesses, Vlad."

"Well, I didn't think so, though that is an excellent idea if you ever change your mind," his eyes brightened, a mischievous side that Danny hadn't seen before peaking out and helping Danny realize what he must have been like in college, still friends with his fun loving parents, "However, I'll give you some time to think it over, as it must be a bit to digest."

Danny was out the door, already running thirty minutes late and ignoring the man completely, when Vlad's voice reached him again, "I mean, how often does a commoner get offered the keys to the kingdom, Little Badger?"

That enigmatic statement was still burning in Danny's ears as he slammed the door shut and started on his way, blithely ignoring all the things that it could possibly mean as his stomach did flip-flops. What kingdom was he being offered exactly? Danny wasn't sure that he wanted to find that out quite yet.

Weariness and confusion settled over the boy, but that he could handle as he'd dealt with those emotions often enough. Now if he could deal with the wrath of two angry best friends, one of who happened to be something akin to a girlfriend, at his being late he'd be fine, 'I just hope Sam hasn't started pulling her hair out over being left alone with Tucker yet…He better not be bugging her about me and her…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Why Sam? Why does God make me utterly unattractive to all things female?"

This had been going on since she'd found him sitting in a booth at the Nasty Burger, head in his hands and his hat conspicuously missing, nearly twenty minutes ago. She'd been running a bit late as she had yet another run in with a ghost, though this one she managed to frighten off with a glare. Sam was lucky it had been a ghost of cowardice, appropriately named Craven.

"Tucker," Sam rubbed her temples, the throbbing of an oncoming headache making her take control of the moping boy in front of her, "Snap out of the pity me attitude and tell me what happened. I'm getting tired of your whiney voice."

"I do not have a whiney voice," the boy immediately straightened and grabbed down towards his legs, pulling up his hat a second later and shoving it on his head, "And what makes you think I want to talk to you about it?"

"Because you've been complaining since I got here and you had your hat off," she looked to where it sat on his head once again, feeling that something was a little more right about the world now that he had it on, "You never have your hat off unless it falls off or you're only taking it off to scratch your head. Now 'fess up, or I'll shove my salad down your throat."

Tucker shivered at the prospect of having the slim girl force feed him vegetables, "Man, do I have to?"

"Now, Tucker."

"Fine, fine," he brought his soda closer to him and started nibbling on the straw, working out what he wanted to say as Sam sat as patiently, or rather impatiently, as she could manage, "Remember that day when you gave me that advice about girls and me being me?"

"Vaguely," Sam raised an eyebrow and wryly grinned, "Something about being yourself and letting things happen from there."

"Yeah well, I gave it a try," his hands went back to his face and Sam barely made out a mumbled second part, " and I got shot down. Again. It was harsh and I'm gonna' have nightmares about it for weeks."

"It couldn't have been _that_ bad," Sam rolled her eyes, then watched Tucker shake his head and mumbled under his breath, "What was that?"

"I said, she told me she didn't speak geek," the boy just shook his head, "I don't know what I did wrong."

"Probably nothing," Sam shrugged, not noticing that Danny was walking through the front door and approaching them, "You're a great guy Tuck. Your smart and funny, you pay attention to girls and are sweet and charming. You're gonna' knock 'em dead one day."

Danny stopped to listen as Sam gave Tucker a pep talk and couldn't help but be a bit jealous of the kind things she was saying to his best friend. She'd said similar things to him yes, but not lately…

"Oh ha ha," Tucker smirked slightly at her choice of wording, "Around here that could have lethal consequences."

"You know what I mean," she smiled softly then, "Seriously though, you're someone who's going to blindside the world one of these days. You're amazing Tucker, and I have to admit after getting to know you, I'd be willing to date you."

'What?' Danny's eyebrows shot up, the boy himself stopping dead in his tracks.

"What?" Tucker's eyes lit up, not because he wanted to date Sam, but because a girl saw him as date-worthy, "Me?"

"Yeah," Sam teased gently and batted her eyelashes prettily, happy that she was about to get to turn the tables on the boy for once, "Talk nerdy to me Tuck."

"Wha...?" Tucker was at a loss for words, but Danny certainly was not as the other boy broke out into ruckus laughter.

"Hey," a voice cut into their conversation as the halfa made his presence known, trying his best to keep his voice light and teasing, "What the heck are you two up to now? Talking about me behind my back again or what?"

"Nah, we never would man," Tucker waved him off, then turned a serious smile to Sam, "And…you know, thanks."

"Don't mention it," the girl mumbled as she took in the odd look that was crossing Danny's face, "Anyways, I'm dying to finally eat this salad, and I'm sure that Danny wants a nasty, meat filled burger like yours. I'm glad you finally got here Danny."

"Yeah, me too," Danny watched Sam carefully as she sent a smile to him. The jealousy was still rushing through him, but he tried his best to calm it. It wasn't Sam's fault that he'd walked in when he had, nor was it Tucker's. She had just been trying to comfort him, but Danny couldn't help but wonder about how she'd teased the other boy, 'She's never like that with me…never…flirty.'

It didn't matter though, Danny told himself sternly, because those two were friends and friends did that for one another. Different relationships for different people, and he had no reason to be feeling this possessiveness over Sam…only he was.

'I just wish…,' he sighed and tuned back to the conversation that Sam had mostly been keeping going as he and Tucker gorged themselves, 'I wish I knew what's going on with her…At least it's been quiet with ghosts. I just hope it stays that way for a while.'

"Prepare to meet your doom, ghost boy! And I'll just be taking this girl here as incentive for you to fight!"

Sam was jerked up and out of the booth by an invisible force and the crowded restaurant was suddenly emptied. The girl sighed tiredly and languidly tapped her fingers in a rhythmic fashion against the leathered skin of the giant being holding her in one hand. Tucker tiredly groaned and pulled out his trusty PDA, shutting down the camera system in the building to allow Danny to change.

Danny just hung his head and changed dejectedly, glaring up at the thing that dared intrude on his supposed evening of peace, 'I spoke too soon…I hate days like this.'

And indeed, he did.


	7. Origins

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Hm…maybe I should be really super clear on this: This _IS _a Sam and Danny fic, as was the first, as will be the next two. No worries there…they're just going to go through a bit of a rough patch is all. You'll probably start to distrust me, but I promise it'll be fine by the end. No worries!

Anywho, lots of love to you guys and hope you enjoy!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Seven: Origins**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Four in one day!" Danny slammed his fist into another ghost's stomach, grimacing as he pulled his hand back out covered in the slime of the creature, "This is so gross."

"Not that you don't have the right to complain," Tucker tossed a thermos up to the boy, then looked over to where Sam stood completely dripping in the slime, "but I think you might want to do it later…out of earshot."

"Just so you know, this stuff is starting to dry," the mentioned girl pulled her hands away from her chest where she had them crossed, the goop stringing out in long messy threads, "Doesn't your ghost ray thingy make heat or is warm or something?"

"Yeah," Tucker smiled at her thought and picked it up while Danny grinned maliciously and began to build up a massive ball of energy in his hands, "Fry that sucker."

"With pleasure," and the boy released it, watching as the ghost solidified little by little. One last power-packed punch sent it scattering into tiny pieces which were easily picked up by the thermos which Danny immediately handed back to Tucker, "Stupid ghosts…"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Boo!"

It was right in her ear, it was from an invisible source, it was loud, and it was downright annoying by that point, "Danni, knock it off, you've already scared me ten times today. I think it finally started to wear off after the fifteenth time, kid."

"Aw, that's no fun," the girl appeared mid air behind Sam and kicked at the wall behind her, "I just wanted to scare you."

"But why?" Sam was exasperated by that point. Her evening last night had been ruined by the giant creature that had grabbed her, then this morning it had been two ghosts Danny hadn't met, followed by Shadow yet again tormenting her, then the goo monster which had been more annoying than dangerous. By four that evening Danni had finally gotten on her last nerves with the constant scares and moving objects and overall haunting of her mansion.

"I…I dunno'," the girl looked lost, just as she had every other time Sam had asked why. Just as she had when Danny and Tucker questioned her on why she had shown up and what she felt drawn to. An inkling of something akin to fear mixed with confusion trickled down her neck and raised the hairs there as well, "I just feel like being sorta' ghost-ish for some reason today."

"Danni?" she pulled down on the girl's booted foot, which was already starting to melt a tiny bit, until she was hovering eye level, "Are you scaring other people or only me?"

"Just you."

A tiny shiver passed through Sam for reasons she didn't care to explore as a tiny realization poured over her, "Just me because you know me, or just me because you only feel like messing with me?"

"Um, isn't that sorta' the same thing?"

"No," Sam shook her head and watched as her breath started to appear in front of her. Danni by herself was enough to make the temperature drop, but not enough to make her breath condense into a fog. There was another ghost around, but Sam forced herself to keep her cool as Danni hadn't picked up on it yet, "One means you just want to pick on me because you like me, the other one means that you want to scare me because you feel like you should."

A quiet 'Oh!' made it out of Danni's mouth just as a silvery blue fog slipped out in a wisp as well, and Danni was on her toes aggressively standing in front of Sam, "Hey, whoever you are, get out of here! I'm haunting this house!"

A maniacal laugh wavered through the air, though it sounded oddly nasally just as Sam threw herself back towards her nightstand, scrabbling to dial Danny's cell and hoping it was on. Danni was a little too young and a little too drawn out from already having used her powers all day to tease her. It wouldn't be any good to let her fight by herself, especially since she was starting to create a puddle of green beneath her feet.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Hovering over Amity Park that afternoon, Danny found himself in a very pensive mood after a particularly nasty ghost fight. All he could think about at that moment was, 'Five in one day.'

The boy was sitting cross-legged as he floated, hands on his chin with his elbows resting on his knees. The clouds floated around him and helped to calm his racing thoughts enough to find some order in with which to think them. In all, he was rather confused and worried.

"Why did I say that?" he was focusing on nothing and replaying the fight over and over again, "I mean, yeah I like her, but…"

Shaking his head he started at the beginning, trying to figure out exactly when he had started to feel the way he did. He'd never really thought about it until that afternoon, though he'd certainly felt jealous before.

The ghost had been no one he'd ever known, as it had been the increasing trend lately for different ghosts to show up for no particular reason other than they felt like something was here for them to find. Mostly, they found Sam, and that was where the real questions started to crop up for Danny. This ghost was actually honing in on her house when Danny popped in front of him, forcing him to halt his advance and turning his attention to fighting. He eventually managed to lead him further off the ground for an aerial fight where less damage would be done to the town.

It had come halfway into the fight when things were really starting to heat up. Already the halfa felt as though his right shoulder was slightly out of place and had several nasty burns running up his forearms. His glove had been burned off at the fingertips and palms, and were barely rags. The pain had been numbing though as his naturally quick healing kicked in and started to patch up the worse even while he was fighting.

The problem was he had stopped for a moment when the pain was too much, bending over mid air to guard his overly sensitive and freshly burned arms from the creature in front of him while he took a second to revaluate how to handle the situation. If he was honest with himself, he had been pissed when another ghost showed up to mess with Sam and it was severely hindering him in the fight. He needed to let go and just breath before he made another silly mistake out of frustration.

"If you stop now, I won't have a problem with you," the ghost had taunted in a somewhat faked British accent. Danny wasn't completely sure of what this ghost's persona was, but he didn't really care at the moment, "I've got a girly to go find."

'Stupid, damn ghosts,' the halfa spit out in his mind, straightening back up and glaring down the older ghost boy in front of him, 'All of them, messing with Sam. How dare they? This is my town, and my people!'

"You stay away from what's mine or you'll regret it!"

It had come out so quickly that Danny surprised himself by saying it, slapping his hand over his mouth as his eyebrows shot up in complete surprise. He hadn't meant to say that and if Sam had been around he was sure that he'd have been slapped at the way he had said it. The most surprising part though, was the realization on his part that he meant it very literally. The only problem was; in what way?

"You can't have her, mate," the other shot back, his fists starting to glow with his own purplish energy, "I'll take her off your hands, eh?"

That had caused something in Danny to snap, thoughts of all the ghosts that had been after her lately filling his head. His hands burned now, not from the scorches they'd received, but from his own energy licking over his skin in a strangely cool way. The fight had been over with only a few moments after that with the Bristish sounding ghost completely knocked out and safely sealed inside a thermos. Danny gave it a shake for good measure after he'd capped it.

He did so again as he sat and thought over everything that had happened, grinning smugly as a tiny moan sounded from inside the metal casing, 'Serves you right, you jerk.'

Now it was the question of how he'd meant what he had said that was bothering him the most, 'But how _did _I mean it? I mean, she's not mine…but she is. We're together, right? So that kinda' makes her mine, but why do I feel like I didn't mean it that way?'

"Oh God," Danny groaned into his hands, running one over his eyes and then back up into his hair, 'I couldn't have meant it like that! She's not…a possession, I _know_ she's not. This isn't making any sense.'

'But she could be a type of possession,' the thought hit him suddenly as yet again he thought over all the ghosts after Sam, 'They've all been after her, so it's like they're after something…maybe they're not after _her_ but something that she has or knows…maybe she has some old ghost artifact or heirloom or something!'

Those thoughts led to others, specifically concerning how he felt for her, 'Okay, so maybe she has something and doesn't even know it and it's been attracting ghosts…but does that mean that I only started to like her because of that?'

Danny felt as though a bucket of cold water had run down his back and quickly dismissed that thought, 'No, that's stupid. I like Sam because she's Sam. She's funny and sweet in her own weird way and sarcastic and…she's Sam. She's beautiful. This is just-'

The quiet ringing from his body snapped him out of it and he quickly returned to the ground and found a secluded spot to change into his more natural, human form, 'Who the heck is calling me right now?'

"Hello?"

"Danny, listen, I'd really appreciate it if you could get to my house, _now_," Sam's hurried, hushed voice made his stomach drop out of him, "Please."

"I'm coming," and his phone was off and he was changing as he got a running leap into the air, flying as fast as he could, and even then pushing himself. He didn't care to notice at that moment but he'd already healed, as had his jumpsuit. All he cared about at that moment was Sam and the fact that she didn't have a thermos on her, 'Why the hell haven't I given her one yet?' and Danni was there with her, which worried him as well. She shouldn't sound so worried with another halfa there to protect her, especially with as good as he knew Danni to be.

'I'm coming, almost there, Sam,' he spotted the house and didn't bother to care that there were people on the street, instead rocketing straight in to her room to find the two girls standing beside Sam's bed, Danni protectively in front of her even though she was starting to dissolve, "What's going on?"

"Danny Phantom," a familiar voice made Danny nearly faint with relief. If the ghost was here on friendly terms he had nothing to worry about, and if he was there to fight…well, he didn't think Poindexter was too much of a challenge with Danni and Sam to back him up, "Seems like you're here for her too, huh?"

"I'm not here for her, I'm here because she called me," the halfa rolled his eyes and sunk to the floor, glancing around to see where the other boy might be, "Why're you still invisible, and how the heck did you get here without your mirror anyways? I broke that thing."

"There are other mirrors," the boy shrugged as he reappeared, fumbling with his glasses for a moment as he cleaned them on a shirt edge, "I guess you could say I found a new way out, but that doesn't really matter. I don't really like coming to the real world very often. I was still invisible because I felt particularly ghostly as soon as I got here."

"So why are you here?" Danni cut in, relaxing her guard and changing back after she saw Danny relax. She sat heavily on the bed, exhausted from the sudden rush of energy she had felt when Sam had been threatened, "And how do you two know each other again?"

"Long story short, he's the ghost of bullies and thought I was a bully one time," Danny sighed and grinned over at Poindexter, "We fought, figured it out, then I broke his mirror so he couldn't bug the school anymore."

"It was the cat's meow for a while though, being out again," the boy had a dreamy look on his face, and it was at this point that Sam snapped out of her worry enough to notice that he was black and white, as though out of an old movie, "Anyways, I just came for a visit, wanted to see what all the talk around the ghost zone was about."

"The talk?" both halfas asked nervously, then shot one another odd looks. His very presence in the same room as Sam was making them both antsy.

"Yeah, you know," he gestured to Sam, "Her. About how everybody is feeling this crazy pull from her or to her or something whenever they are out here. Said it started a few months ago or something, about the time that you threw those annoying fish and shrimp ghosts into the zone, by the way. Anyways, I wanted to see what it was like, and sure enough, as soon as I was out of the mirror in the girl's locker room-"

"The girl's locker room?" Sam asked in amusement.

"Yes, the girl's locker room," the boy huffed indignantly and straightened his glasses again, "As soon as I was out, I felt like something was guiding me and I followed it. And this is where I ended up, right in front of her with this little kid yelling that this was her haunt. She made me laugh at how she said it."

"Your haunt, huh?" Danny chuckled as Danni just nodded, her cheeks rosy as she blushed, "Poor Sam, I can't imagine what it's like to have a halfa living with you and one that visits all the time."

"Oh yeah," Sam crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and sank onto her bed, feeling more than a little better that Danny was there, but feeling oddly towards the fact that he was there as Phantom, 'This doesn't make any sense. Danni and Danny never bother me, but when they're…ghosts…it just starts to feel so awkward. I don't like how it makes me feel…'

"Well, since I came, I guess I could hang around a little longer," the statement unsettled Danny somehow as Poindexter kept his eyes on Sam, "Wonder why I feel like I should…"

"That's enough," and the thermos was opened and shut before the boy knew what hit him, "Stupid ghosts and their stupid obsessions and stupid…"

"Danny," Sam stood quickly as his eyes began to glow brighter and brighter with every thought tumbling from his lips. He stopped his ranting, but gave the thermos a hard shake which had a moan from one ghost and a shout from the other that was trapped inside, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he sighed heavily as he looked over at Danni was now laying on her back, trying to recover some of her strength, "Is she okay? She looks like she fought."

"She didn't fight," Sam frowned as she thought over what Danni had said earlier and how Poindexter had mirrored the girl's feelings, "She's just been…teasing me all day. Trying to scare me and moving things around to get my attention. I think she just wore herself out."

"Oh," came the surprised reply, his eyes drifting between the two girls in the room "It kinda' surprised me when Poindexter said she called it her haunt, but I guess she likes it here or something. Poor kid, she's pooped. At least nothing happened."

"Yeah," Sam averted her eyes from the ghost in front of her, "After all the other ghosts, number five isn't so scary."

"Number six."

"What?"

"He's number six," Danny shook the thermos again, "I fought one before you called me…he was coming to find you too."

"Him too, huh?" the girl felt a weary tiredness settle in her then, the truth of how bad a situation they were in settling to her bones, "Every ghost, that's what he said isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's what he said," the halfa pulled his legs up to float just as he had been doing earlier in the air, contemplating everything that had happened so far, "On a good note, Vlad should be gone by now. I didn't have to put up with him all day because I was gone."

"That is good," Sam smiled for him, wondering how long he planned to stay as Phantom instead of the familiar Fenton she was used to having around her now, "Um Danny?"

"Hm?"

"Are you going to change back or stay like that?"

"What?" the boy looked down at himself, only then realizing he hadn't changed back as quickly as he normally did, "Oh, I didn't really think about it, why?"

"N-no reason."

'I just stuttered,' Sam turned away with a blush, moving carefully around Danny and towards her computer desk, 'I don't stutter!'

"So, since Vlad is gone," Danny landed and walked behind her, surprised that when he laid his hands on her shoulder she tensed up, "We can have dinner at my place tonight. I bet Mom and Jazz would be really glad that you were there too."

"Um," she glanced around, not sure whether she wanted to go or not when Danni popped up as she had that morning, answering for her with a huge, hopeful smile, "Sure, let's go."

Danny's hands left her after delivering a tiny squeeze and Sam felt herself immediately relax, 'What the heck is wrong with me?'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"So Sam," Maddie spoke up as she passed the, thankfully, edible peas, noting that Danni had returned that night along with the older girl, "Danni spent the night with you?"

"Yep," Danni didn't let Sam answer and the girl closed her mouth with a wry smile, knowing just how enthusiastic the younger girl was, "It was great! We watched a movie on this huge theater in her _basement_ and then we ate dinner and then we had ice cream for dessert. She even let me try to braid her hair, which was pretty cool 'cause I've never got to braid anyone's hair before."

"Braided her hair huh?" Danny turned with an innocent look towards Sam, who was blushing at the sudden attention he was paying her, "Wow, I didn't know Sam did her hair any other way then that little poof on top of her head."

"Yeah, and she's really good at doing other people's hair too," Danni kept on, not noticing how Sam was cowering in her seat, trying her best to not meet Danny's laughing eyes as his mother, father, and sister tried not to laugh as well, "She did mine in braids, and then she did pigtails which were cool, but a little too girly for me, so she did this awesome wrap thing where it was a braid around my head sorta' like a crown."

"Wow," Jazz smirked towards the girl and popped a pea into her mouth, unsure of whether the rest of the food was as safe to eat, "Sounds like you've got some talent where hair is concerned. Wanna' do mine for my next date?"

"Sure," Sam gritted her teeth, then let a tiny smile slip as Jazz started laughing and assured her that she didn't have to and she was just teasing, "but I guess I am sorta' good at doing hair. When I was little my Mom used to let me watch this lady do her hair for formal events…then I'd try to copy it on my hair or my Grandma's. It was fun."

"Sounds like it," Maddie chimed in, cutting gently on the roast beef as it purred, not wanting to bother it by being too harsh as she took a few pieces for herself, "I remember when I was a child, my mother would always let me play with her hair, even if I messed it up horribly."

"You used to let us do that too," Danny smiled at the memory, then over at Jazz as the siblings reminisced, "Remember when you accidentally put a knot in Mom's hair and it took both of us to get it out?"

"That was when my hair was a bit longer and I styled it differently," the mother smiled over at Danni, "You wouldn't have been born yet."

"No doubt about that," the girl muttered, though everyone heard and started laughing. Danni just hung her head in slight embarrassment as her statement hadn't come out quite right, "I meant…No! Don't laugh…I didn't say she was old or anything…"

"I know dear," Maddie hid her motherly grin and took stock of the children around her, "Well, how have your summers been so far?"

"Pretty good," Danny got out, though he was missing the usual light from his eyes that signified a good vacation. Jazz, too, seemed worn down somehow and she'd been home even longer than Danny had, "It's been kinda' busy though. Danni's had the best time so far I think."

"Lucky me," the girl chirruped and dinner progressed from there with Jack mentioning that the whole system that he and his wife had been working on would be up soon. Both halfas shivered, though no one noticed, and Sam got the sudden feeling that electricity was coursing through the air.

It made her horribly uncomfortable, and the feeling only increased when she noticed her spoon moving on the table, and the look of concentration on Danny's face, 'He's messing with that, and I know it, but it's weird to see something move on its own. I don't…I don't like this feeling.'

The frown on her face finally caught Danny's attention and he stopped playing, thinking that she disapproved of doing so in front of his parents. Sam just heaved a sigh of relief and went back to eating, her thoughts racing over how uncomfortable she was starting to get when what she thought of as 'ghostly' things happened around her now. That afternoon with Poindexter came to mind and several unsettling ideas floated through her mind.

Dinner was over with Sam barely having eaten anything.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Can I spend the night at your house again?" Danni pleaded with Sam as soon as they got into Danny's room, shooting Danny a nasty glare when he opened his mouth with a cheeky smile on his face, "Please Sam?"

"Well, I don't think…," Sam drew it out, one hand to her chin as though she was thinking, "…that it'll be a problem. But only if you promise me right now that you'll stop sneaking into my room to scare me or move stuff around."

"Don't you have that exact same problem with the almost exact same person, only a boy and a little older?" Jazz quipped, watching with fiendish glee as Danny blushed to the roots of his hair. Sam turned pink as well, while Danni's head whipped back and forth between the two, a grin forming on her own face, "I bet its not really a problem though, is it little bro'?"

"Jazz," he reached over and tugged a pillow off his bed, "You better run…"

"I'm not running anywhere Danny," Jazz shook her finger in the boy's face, "At least not until you tell me what happened over at Sam's house. All I got out of you before dinner was something about a ghost and that he told you something interesting."

"Oh, well," the pillow dropped and so did Danny's face, "Poindexter of all peop-er, ghosts showed up at Sam's and said that all the ghosts who've been out of the ghost zone have felt something from Sam. I sort of thought that something like that was going on…but I kept thinking that maybe it was from something she had."

"But I don't have anything," Sam was honestly confused at this and sat heavily on the bed next to Jazz, "I haven't gotten anything that could be ghost related…ever. The only stuff I get is new, top of the line…not that I'm bragging."

"You're cute when you think you're not bragging," Danny teased, which made Danni laugh and run over to sit beside him, all four now on the edge of his bed and thinking heavily, "Seriously though, I don't get what's going on. Poindexter said something that sort of bothered me…"

"What was that?"

"Jazz, I," his gaze drifted around her to Sam, "I don't really want to talk about it right now."

"Why not?" Sam leaned forward to look at the boy, already feeling the gnawing of doubt because of exactly what Danny was thinking on, "We might as well say it. He said that it started happening about the time you put that seafood buffet nightmare into the ghost zone. That was the first day that you talked to me as Phantom…"

"I would have talked to you anyways," the boy shot back defensively, already knowing what was running through Sam's mind, 'It's not just the pull Sam…it's you. I like _you_.'

"Listen, it's just odd isn't it?" Sam looked down at her lap while Danni began to peer over Danny's shoulder, gently holding on and watching the scene as Jazz sat listening, "I mean, you talk to me of all people and _keep_ talking to me, then the ghosts start coming more and even Vlad tried to get to me that one night. He may not have known it, but maybe the reason he chose to go after me instead of Tucker or Jazz, was because of whatever this weird pull is. Now all the ghosts are coming after me…even Danni came here to find something, right? It only makes sense doesn't it Danny?"

"No!" It was such a strong answer that Jazz sat further back in shock, watching as Danny fought with his words, "That doesn't make any sense Sam, because I wouldn't…I. It isn't like that!"

"But how do we know?" Sam asked quietly. The silence was stretching on after that as she glanced down, then looked over at the clock on the boy's nightstand and stood, "Danny, I've got to get up early tomorrow to go shopping with my Mom. Me and Danni need to head home, we've both had a long day."

"Sam," Danny started as he stood, but quickly shut his mouth when Sam reached up and pecked him shyly on his cheek.

"Come on Danni, let's get going," and she was at his door, throwing a quick, "See you later Jazz, night Danny!" over her shoulder as she went. Danny's hand was in his hands as he sat back down, with Jazz gently rubbing his back to soothe his frayed nerves.

"I should follow them home," he mumbled quietly.

"No, they're probably fine. Danni's with her for one thing, and they have her cell phone for another," Jazz kept rubbing his back, knowing that the motion and the simple act of touch would help him, "It's alright, you know. Sam's just having problems dealing with all the ghosts after her right now, so it's probably pretty natural for her to be questioning your relationship."

"But what if she's right?" Danny finally managed to set up straight, sighing heavily as he struggled to fight past his insecurities about the whole situation, "What if I did start talking to her because I felt the pull of whatever it is and didn't realize it."

"Do you feel the pull right now?" Jazz asked, watching him carefully as he contemplated the question, "It seems like it's obvious to all the other ghosts and even Danni, so if you were attracted to Sam solely because of this 'pull' then you'd be able to identify it as well."

"I don't feel anything like that," the boy shook his head, confused with everything and hoping that Sam was alright, "She's Sam, not some ghost magnet as far as I'm concerned. They all need to stay away from her though, because I'm getting really tired of them trying to take what's m…"

The dazed look in his eyes alerted Jazz that something was wrong, and in all due consideration if he was really going to say what she thought he was then something was certainly off, "Danny, finish what you were going to say."

"That she's mine," the boy shook his head, trying his hardest to sort out just why he had said that, "but I don't know how I mean it Jazz."

"You're going to have to figure that out," his older sister shook her head, not sure how to help him through this without making him more nervous or jumpy, "What about the pull itself that Poindexter mentioned, about how all the ghosts are going after Sam specifically. Danni mentioned it to me a while back, she even said she'd talked with some other ghosts about how they've felt drawn here, even though they have no intention of doing anything."

"So you two had it all figured out?"

"No, not really," Jazz sighed and stood, "We may have figured that it had something to do with Sam, but that much was obvious. We still don't know everything though, Danny, but we're going to figure this out."

"Jazz, I'm sorry," he grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her back down to where they had been sitting, fidgeting with the cell phone he'd just pulled out of his pocket, "It's just stressful. What if…what if I mean it like she belongs to me like my cell phone belongs to me or something?"

"Then you'd have a really pissed off Sam," Jazz teased and tugged at her brothers hair, turning his head back to her so they were eye to eye again, "Seriously though, I don't think you have a problem. You said you can't feel it…so maybe you're just feeling a normal sort of possessiveness. As long as you don't let it get out of hand, you should be fine."

"And if it does get out of hand?" Danny had never looked so upset over something to do with his powers and abilities, "What if I start to act like all those other ghosts or if…or if she's becoming some sort of obsession?"

"Is she?"

"No," Danny shook his head, starting to breathe a little easier as Jazz helped him through this rather odd problem, "No, she's Sam. She's her own person…and let's everyone know it. The problem is…when I'm Phantom, I say it. I say that she's mine and that all the other ghosts have to leave her alone, not bother what's mine…"

"You do that with the town though now," Jazz pointed out, helpfully walking her little brother through the more difficult points of psychology without ever really doing so, "You figured it out a while back that staking your claim helped cut down the number of ghosts…maybe your subconscious got used to claiming things as a way of warding off ghosts. Do you think that's it?"

"Maybe," he nodded thoughtfully, still a bit unsure though feeling much better, "Maybe Jazz."

"Good," his sister moved again to leave the room, feeling as though something had been cleared up for the young man, "Love you little bro'."

"Love ya' too," he grinned then shut his door, ignoring her outraged squeak as it bumped her butt, "Night sis!"

"Danny!" she was pounding on his door while he laughed, both smiling, "I'll get you!"

"Aw, and my little dog too?"

"Danny, you don't even have a dog, you jerk!"

"Not counting Cujo are you?"

"Danny!"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Sam…," the voice was small as though frightened and it took a moment for Sam to fully bring herself out of sleep, "Um…Sam?"

"Hm? What?" the young woman sat up, finding that Danni was standing at the edge of her bed in the pair of shorts and tank top that Sam had lent to her, "Danni? What's wrong?"

"I just…," she looked around a little uncomfortably, climbing quickly up onto the bed to situate herself tucked up against Sam, "I got scared."

"Why?" Sam asked humorously, fighting back her grin as she thought of what she really wanted to say, 'Sweetie, you're a ghost…you're sort of the thing that people are afraid _of_.'

"I heard something," she looked around with wide eyes, giving a tiny, tight smile when Sam wrapped her up with the extra blanket on the foot of her bed, "It was all…_creeeeak _and it moaned and then there was something tapping on my window. I didn't sense a ghost so I didn't know what to do."

"You know this mansion is really old," Sam glanced around and set a pillow behind herself and Danni so they could lean against the headboard comfortably as they talked, "It makes weird sounds at night…I'm surprised you didn't notice it last night."

"I was asleep last night," the little girl shrugged, snuggling deeper into the blanket, "I didn't hear it."

"We can call Danny if you want," Sam shrugged, figuring it to be the best way to help the younger girl calm down, "He can come over and check everything out…or I can do it."

"No, it's cool," Danni glanced around as the wind made the house shift slightly again, "Can I stay in here? On the floor if you want."

"You don't have to stay on the floor," Sam rolled her eyes, shifted so she could lay down, laughing slightly to herself, "I was just teasing the other day."

"Oh…I knew that!" the little girl settled herself as well, hugging the pillow partially to her as her head lay against the rest. Sam just chuckled again and rolled over, ready to go to sleep for the night.

"Sure you did."

"I did!"

"Mmhm."

"I _diiiiid_…"

"Goodnight Danni."

"Night…"

The next morning found Danny watching the sleeping pair from the window, grinning even as he turned to face another ghost. He'd have to take care of this outside so as not to wake the sleeping girls. They were really too cute for their own good right then, and neither would know of the early morning disturbance right outside their window if he had anything to say about it.


	8. Formula

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Here's the next chapter! So many things are going on…so here's something to help you keep track of them:

Masters is plotting something, and so is Plasmius it seems, though it's a ways off yet.  
Danny, Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and Danni have their hands full with Sam's little problem.  
Sam's little problem is causing a problem for her and Danny's relationship.  
Maddie and Jack are setting up equipment all over the house to further ghost proof it.  
Valerie is starting to think that something can be done about her Danny problem.  
Tucker is about to get a taste of what being himself can do.

Wow that's a lot of storylines at one time! Hope you guys enjoy! Typos, typos, wherefore art thou typos? (Translation: Typos, typos, why are you typos?) Do tell me my friends! Love to you all!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Eight: Formula**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

The week had been good enough, or so Sam figured, as there had only been two or three ghost attacks each day where she was concerned. There had even been one that was focused solely on Tucker, not that she thought that a good thing, but at least it wasn't about her. It probably helped that she hadn't been out and about that day, but she refused to think of that fact.

'There's no way I'm going to turn into a hermit until this blows over,' she scuffed her boots along the concrete edge of the curb she was walking beside, book held in her arms as she made her way towards the park for an afternoon of reading away from any halfas that currently resided in Amity Park, 'They're driving me nuts…but at least they're both cute about it.'

The past few days had been nothing but Danni trailing her and Danny tailing her, the difference being Danny was trying to be inconspicuous about it while Danni didn't care if the world knew she was following Sam around. She didn't mind per say, but after a while the constant accompaniment was wearing on her nerves.

'At least they both gave me a break today…or at least as far as I can tell,' she glanced around as she reached a tree that looked well shaded and inviting in the summer heat, settling down at once to get in some good reading time, something which she hadn't been able to do since her involvement with Danny and his crazy life, 'That first time I talked to him…to Phantom. It was with the seafood, which is what Poindexter said…'

The book was sitting open in her lap, the black bookmark with a skull and crossbones still settled between the pages, and yet Sam found she suddenly had no interest in reading. Flipping over the bookmark found a tiny drawing of Sam fussing at some random ghost-shaped entity, causing the creature to pout. The young woman traced the picture, memories of that day coming back to her. It had been in detention, where they always seemed to end up, and Danny had snatched it away from her, drawing quickly and telling her to look sideways so he could capture her. He'd done an excellent job, Sam had to admit, and she'd fallen in love with the cute little picture.

'He's very attentive,' Sam chewed on her bottom lip while looking over the picture, thoughts of the conversation in her room that had been plaguing her all week coming to the surface, 'but is it because he's just that sort of guy, or is it because of whatever the heck is going on with me?'

"Is it me, or is it whatever I have or am or whatever?"

There. She'd finally voiced it, but it certainly didn't make her feel any better. After their one conversation in Danny's room they hadn't spoken about it again. Sam hadn't wanted to bother the halfa because of everything that he was dealing with at the moment, and she could only guess it was the same for him, 'Then again, maybe he doesn't care. No, Danny's not like that…he wouldn't follow me around, and he wouldn't have Danni follow me around if he didn't care. Maybe he just thinks that I haven't noticed. He is clueless sometimes.'

Shaking her head, Sam tried her hardest to turn her thoughts back towards her book, a good five minutes passing before she realized she'd read the same page three times. Heaving a frustrated sigh, the book met the ground and Sam pulled her legs up to her chest as she sat seriously considering everything that had been happening.

'Ghosts, ghosts, and more ghosts,' the girl thought sardonically, 'That's all that's been going on. That and halfas…I seem to be collecting a following of them too. I mean, Danni came because of this stupid 'pull' or whatever it is, so isn't the same true about Danny? They are literally carbon copies of one another…with a few minor differences.'

Sam was no closer to knowing what the truth was after mentally racking her brain for every shred of evidence, one way or the other. Still huddled beneath the tree, the girl continued to ponder the question of 'Does he, doesn't he?' as the minutes passed.

It was in this tortured pose that Tucker and Danny found the girl as they wandered through the park, searching for a ghost that had eluded Danny thirty minutes prior. Tucker could only chuckle as Danny hurriedly ran up the hill to where she was sitting, grinning about something and putting her on edge slightly as he glanced around.

"So, fancy meeting you here again," the halfa winked and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively just as Tucker walked up behind him, "Never thought I'd see you sitting there again with a book in your lap."

"Last time you were a little less familiar with me and a little more white haired," Sam shot back, grabbing her book as she moved to stand and brush the grass from her bottom, "I didn't even realize this was the same tree I sat behind when you fought that ghost that tore up the park. It's been a couple of months."

"I'm surprised you forgot something," Danny teased, rolling his eyes with a grin on his face, "You're like an elephant Sam. You never forget."

"Wonderful," Sam turned to Tucker and started walking away, talking to the boy instead of Danny as she went, "I'm an elephant now."

"Hey!" Danny moved to catch up with them, but was thoroughly ignored much to Tucker's amusement, "I didn't mean I that way."

"Do you hear something Tuck?"

"No," the boy shook his head innocently, hands folded behind his back as the pair strolled along, "Must've been a ghost. You know how they are around here, always trying to get into other people's conversations, calling people elephants…the usual."

"Traitor," Danny whined, finally pulling a grin from Sam's lips, "I've known you since first grade. The least you could do is back me up, man."

"True," the other boy laughed, then looked down at his watch, "Man, we've been looking for thirty minutes and we haven't found it. I'm gonna' have to run soon so I can pick up my order at the mall. I didn't tell you, did I Sam?"

"Nope," she shook her head, hair swinging side to side as she did and holding Danny's gaze captive for a moment, "What'd you buy?"

"Newest version of Keys Legacy Torto," Tucker broke into a wide grin, "Only the coolest, hardest, hottest game that's been created in like, four months!"

"Glad you got it," Sam never knew quite how to take her friend's enthusiasm over technology and settled for being happy in a passive, non-baised way, no matter how much she wanted to poke fun at him sometimes for being just a bit obsessed, "Now we won't see you for a whole three days while you beat the game."

"You know it," he shot back, hands up as he made tiny 'guns' with them and then turned on his heel, "I gotta' run. You two lovebirds have fun."

"We're not lovebirds!"

Their denial, however, came too late as Tucker was already strolling off with his hands in his pockets, whistling some tune or other that was horribly off key and off beat as he went, making Sam wince and Danny shake his head at his friend's musical disability.

"Nice day, huh?"

The question caught Sam off guard and she simply nodded her head in response as they continued their walk to an unknown destination. It was a nice day, not too hot with clouds in the sky and a breeze keeping the air fresh. In all, it was a perfect summer day, and Sam found that the smell of fresh cut grass added to the moment she seemed to be living in with Danny. If she could, she would have frozen time to revel in the carefree afternoon that was so hard to come by with all the ghost attacks.

"We haven't really gotten to hang out in a while," Danny picked up the conversation on his own, not wanting to disturb the sense of calm that had seemingly settled over the girl while they walked, "Not with Danni being here, and Tucker, and Jazz…who likes to stick her nose into everything. Not that that's bad; she's a really good listener. She helps me figure myself out when I can't."

"She's studying to be a psychologist right?" Sam glanced over and found the bench where she'd first met Jazz. It was also the first time that she and Danny had sat together there, "I bet she has a blast figuring out the inner workings of your mind."

"Actually," the young man laughed, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck as they continued along the sidewalk, "she does. Studying the intellect of a person split between human and ghost has got to be one of her favorite pastimes."

"Speaking of that," Sam nervously pulled in a quick breath, steadying herself for the conversation ahead, "Danny, have we only been…I mean, were you only attracted to me be-"

"What is this?" the voice came from nowhere and interrupted a very frustrated young woman, though it seemingly took no notice as it continued to talk, "Is this the source that I have been searching for? A puny, human girl?"

"Not that I'm trying to avoid this conversation, but I should probably take care of this first," Danny jerked his head towards a swirl of black clouds that were gathering in the mostly until just then clear sky, 'Even though I really am trying to avoid this…but you don't need to know that…'

"Excuse me?" Sam folded her arms and distracted the ghost for a moment, Danny wincing as she did so and changing quickly, "Who exactly are you calling a puny, human girl? You don't even know me, and for one thing, I am _not _puny, you big…cloud thingy."

Malevolent laughter began to build as the ghost appeared just below the gathering storm. Sam just rolled her eyes as Danny hovered nearby, the two sizing each other up and the energy beginning to crackle around the area, just as it had on all the other occasions where Danny would work himself up, "What are you? Some sort of storm ghost or something?"

"No," the blue hued man struck a pose just as a bolt of lightening and booming peal of thunder ripped through the sky, "I am Cascius, ghost of all things melodramatic."

"You've got to be kidding me," Sam shook her head and sighed deeply, opening her book, then closing it again and throwing it to the side, "I am getting really sick of all the ghosts and all their lame fascinations."

"Hey, me too you know," Danny threw her a frustrated look, feeling more than a little bothered that Sam wasn't more upset that yet another ghost was targeting her, "I've just been working my tail off tyring to keep them all away from you."

"I know that, Danny, but you don't think I care that suddenly everyone is after me and I look helpless, having to stand back and let you take care of it?" her eyes were flashing now, and focused only on Danny, "Having to have a ten year old follow me around to protect me? That's a little embarrassing for your information."

"We're just trying to protect you," Danny crossed his arms and split his attention between Sam and the posturing ghost, "Which is sorta' what I want to be doing right now."

"I can take care of myself," Sam snorted, though knew honestly that it was a stupid thing to say. She didn't have a thermos and her only weapon, the lipstick, was still resting on her nightstand, 'Way to go, backed yourself into a corner on that one didn't you?'

"Let's be realistic Sam," Danny snorted out and turned his back on her, ready to deal with the problem in front of them. It was obvious the ghost was growing bored with the pair arguing in front of him, "and just let me take care of this."

"Fine, whatever," Sam forcefully crossed her arms, eyes blazing as she watched Danny leap into the air, fighting for her, but for what reason? The treacherous thought kept sneaking back into her head, even as she watched Danny take a beating through most of the fight, 'Why is he fighting though? For me, Sam? Or for some sort of prize that all those stupid ghosts are after?'

The fight was over after only a few minutes, and Danny landed heavily, wincing as his right leg throbbed. Cascuis, the ghost of dirty fighting in Danny's mind, had taken several cheap shots and Danny was paying for the distraction that the pouting Sam had caused, 'Shouldn't have been watching her…should have just been fighting, stupid Fenton, very stupid.'

"Listen, Sam," the boy limped up to her, but noticed that it was getting easier to walk. Pushing that thought aside, he walked calmly up to her and tried to get her to face him, "Sam. Hey, would you just listen?"

"What Danny?" she hadn't meant to snap, but things were spiraling farther and farther from her control. Sam hated that feeling for some reason, "Just…I'm sorry. I'm just getting tired of you having to save me all the time."

"What, you'd rather have someone else do it?"

Danny didn't know why, but he'd been offended when Sam had said that, had felt unappreciated and under recognized as she stood there fuming for no apparent reason. The question had snapped out of his mouth and it was too late to take it back now, as Sam was glaring up at him, 'At least she's looking at me now.'

"Maybe I would like to save myself sometimes," she shot back, turning away and getting ready to walk off before the situation escalated more. Danny's gloved hand nearly caught her's, but she turned at the last second to face him, halting only because she wanted resolution right then, "What?"

"What's your problem?" the boy asked, then noticed that he'd walked an entire five steps and not felt pain at all. Ignoring Sam for a second, he gave himself the once over and noticed that he was very nearly healed. No more pain, no bruises forming, no cuts, scrapes, or soreness, 'What's going on? I don't heal _this_ fast…'

"You didn't even hear me, did you?"

Danny snapped his eyes back front and center, focusing on Sam and sheepishly shaking his head to indicate that no, he hadn't heard what she said. He'd been too shocked by his sudden recovery to really pay attention, and it seemed that it was a very bad mistake to have made.

"Never mind, I can guess what the truth is," she looked so hurt, small and angry and shaking from everything that she was feeling right then, "I'm just some sort of stupid prize that every ghost in the entire world is out to find and win, halfas included!"

"That's not true," he answered her, desperate for her to believe him, "Sam, how could you-"

"No, it's obvious," she shook her head and turned away slightly, though she still stood close to the boy beside her. She was angry, yes, but she wasn't so angry that she couldn't stand him, "Danny, you can't even be away from me for more than a day. We've been around each other almost ever single day since the first day we really met."

"But we haven't," the boy pointed out, thinking on his feet as he tried to get her to see reason, "We all got grounded that one weekend!"

"We haven't spent any time apart recently," Sam swallowed hard, wanting to believe his argument so desperately, but wanting to know the truth just as badly, "Danny, what is going on with me?"

"I…I really don't know Sam," he shook his head, in earnest over the entire situation.

"I don't either," Sam dejectedly retrieved her book from where she'd left it, "and I don't know what's going on with us anymore either."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Sam turned, confusion and hurt playing across her face, "that I don't really know if you like me for me, or you like me for whatever I am."

"How…Sam, how could you say that?" and now he was angry and letting out all the frustration he'd felt over the past month on the one person who didn't deserve it, and even as the words tumbled from his lips he knew that he'd regret every single one, "I've been protecting you, fighting for you! You should be grateful, even if it's only because you are some prize or something. You should be glad that I've been saving you butt all this time."

"Whatever, Danny," and Sam turned and walked away from him, "I'll talk to you later."

Danny was left standing in the park, the rings washing over him as his adrenaline rush faded and so did his ghost persona. His right hand ran up over his face and through his hair, grabbing a handful along the way and pulling on it violently to let out some of the anger he was feeling. At himself. At the ghosts. And right then, at Sam.

Stupid, stubborn, beautiful Sam.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Man, I don't know what to tell you," Tucker's voice was about as close to soothing as Danny imagined it could get right then, their phone conversation focusing in on what had happened that afternoon in the park, "Girls are just weird about things, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," the halfa rolled his eyes and leaned back in his computer chair, typing furiously as he tried to corner his friend in a computer game, "I just don't know what to do. Ouch, dude, you just blew up my base."

"Of course I did," Tucker chuckled from his side, "That's the point of this game. Speaking of games, they didn't have my copy today. I'm gonna' have to go back tomorrow and on Sunday to check and see if they got it yet."

"That sucks," Danny nodded on his end, then let a frustrated growl slip as Tucker decimated the rest of his bases and armies, effectively ruining his strategy and ending the game, "It sucks even more that I pissed Sam off."

"Why don't you just let her cool off?"

Danny sat and considered this for a while, finally concluding that this was the answer he had been looking for, "Dude, you're a genius!"

"I know," Tucker's egotistically reply pulled a smile from Danny, who finally felt like he was in control of at least something, "So…what's the genius idea I came up with?"

"I'm going to prove to Sam that I don't have to be around her like all the rest of those stupid ghosts…and Danni," the boy leaned back, tipping his chair slightly and balancing his feet on the edge of his desk, "I'll just stay away for a couple of days and let her cool off like you said. That way when I try to talk to her again, I can _prove _that I haven't been influenced by…whatever's going on with her."

"Are you sure that you haven't been affected though?" Tucker asked the one question that Danny really didn't want to hear, "I mean, yeah, you started hanging out with her when Poindexter said it first started happening, but maybe it's just because you were around her then that you didn't notice it. Maybe it _is_ affecting you somehow."

"I don't feel like it is," Danny blew out a deep breath, then nearly toppled backwards as an image of his fight in the park cropped up, 'But I healed as soon as I was next to her. Come to think of it, the other day I healed up pretty fast, too. Crap, what does that mean though?'

"Anyways, dude, I'm gonna' run," Tucker could be heard moving on the other end of the line, shuffling around his room as he searched for his PDA, "I promised my Mom I'd go shopping with her today, help with the groceries and all that."

"That's cool man, talk to you later."

"See ya'."

The phone conversation was over and Danny was sitting in front of the computer, contemplating what he'd just thought, 'So I've gotten faster at healing. It could just be a new power cropping up…'

He couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow wrong though, and worried over it for the rest of the night.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'This is the third time I've seen him walking around the mall this weekend and it's only Saturday,' Valerie sat in the food court, eating a quick lunch with her friends as she watched Danny walk out of the game store and over to the arcade where he'd spend a good two or so hours just playing, 'It's the same thing everytime, he goes and checks out the game shop, then plays games. We were here for long enough yesterday to see him leave again.'

Sipping at her soda, the huntress watched the boy carefully, taking note of his slumped posture and the bags that were forming under his eyes, speaking of little sleep, 'What's up with him?'

He looked beaten or worn, maybe even a little defeated, and that was never a good look for Danny Fenton. He was always in a good mood, smiling along with the world usually and charming people as he went. Depressed and sulky just didn't fit him, 'Which is weird. Why isn't he with Tucker or Manson?'

"Val, you haven't touched your fries," one of the girls in her group pointed out with a worried face, "You okay?"

"Oh, I'm cool," she waved off their concern, stealing one last glance towards Danny's form as it disappeared into the arcade, "Just thinking, you know, got distracted, but don't think that's going to distract me from asking you about your date with Marcus."

The girl in question groaned, then blushed slightly which prompted teasing from all sides. Valerie participated in the conversation, but her mind was on a different subject altogether, 'What's up with Danny?'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Hey Jazz?" Danni poked her head into the girl's room that Saturday afternoon, finding the subject of her search laying comfortably on her bed reading a magazine, "What's up?"

"Not a lot, girl," Jazz smiled and moved to sit up, tossing her magazine across her room and onto her computer desk, "What are you doing here? I thought you were watching Sam today?"

"I was, but her and Tucker decided to head down to the mall and see if his game was there yet," the girl shrugged, "I didn't really want to go, so I thought I'd come and bug a Fenton for a while."

"Lucky me that I was here, right?" the older girl rolled her eyes good-naturedly, then patted the bed beside her, offering Danni a seat, "Are you having a good time at Sam's?"

"It's awesome! She's so rich, she even has her own greenhouse," the girl was practically drooling and Jazz stifled her laughter as Danni continued to describe Sam's house in great detail. She honestly wasn't surprised as Danni had spent very little time in one place, "She let me sleep in her room the other night, 'cause I got scared of the way the house makes these weird noises. She's really nice, even when she tries to act tough. She's been sad lately though…"

"She had been under a lot of stress from all the ghosts that are migrating to her," Jazz pointed out, then realized it was a mistake as Danni's face fell.

"I came just because I felt like I should," her face was turned up and her eyes were glassy as though she was going to cry, "You don't think I'm making her stressed do you? I don't even really know what I'm feeling, and I'm not like those other ghosts! I don't want to try and take Sam or anything!"

"Oh, she knows that," a gentle hand brushed dark bangs from Danni's bright blue eyes, Jazz trying her best to be motherly and comforting in that moment, "It's not you that's stressing her out right now sweetie."

"I hope not," Danni started to float slightly above the bed, crossing her legs as she sat in the air. It was a pose common to both she and Danny, and Jazz believed it to be a very comforting position for the halfas, "Danny really made her mad the other day, and I don't want to do that. She's been really nice…I don't want to have to leave."

"She won't make you leave," Jazz stubbornly refused to believe that Sam would ever force a person in need out of her home, especially a cute little ten year old clone of everyone's favorite halfa...speaking of which, "Why's she mad at Danny?"

"I don't know," the girl shrugged, "All I know was she came home and fell onto her bed and hit her pillow and yelled about Danny being the world's biggest jerk sometimes. I don't think she knew I was there so I just walked through the wall and into my room. She didn't even come out for dinner, so I just ate with all the staff, which was kinda' fun."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Nuh-uh," Jazz watched as Danni fiddled with the edge of her hat, pulling on it until it tumbled from her head, then quickly shoving it back on over her unruly hair, "She's been sorta' sad too, and then Tucker called and it took him forever to convince her to go anywhere. She kept saying she didn't want to run into any trouble, but I think it's 'cause she didn't want to run into Danny."

"Probably," Jazz nodded, wondering at how idiotic her little brother could be at times. He'd already told her his plan to stay away from Sam for a few days to prove that he didn't feel drawn to her in the same way the ghosts did, 'Only problem is, he didn't tell me they'd had a fight before he got my approval. No wonder she's so upset right now…I wonder what happened between them. Ooo, Danny you are in so much trouble the next time I get a hold of you!'

"So um," innocent blue eyes were suddenly in her line of sight and Jazz sighed, she knew those eyes when her brother put on his puppy dog face. She was going to be out of a wad of cash pretty soon if she was reading the signs right, "I was thinking…we haven't had ice cream in a couple of weeks…"

"Alright," Jazz heaved a dramatic sigh and rolled off her bed, "If we have to…"

A happy, "Yes!" was all the prompting that Jazz needed to pick up her keys and usher the young girl out towards her car. Small treats meant all the more when shared with someone like Danni.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'I haven't seen Danny with Sam for two days now,' Valerie watched the boy walk past the food court again, heading out of the mall and probably towards home, 'Star said she saw him walking around town several times too by himself, and no one I've talked to has seen Sam with him. They did see her with Tucker yesterday though…'

A sad smile spread over Valerie's lips as she shook her head, conflicting emotions running through her at that moment, 'Maybe it didn't work out or something.'

She felt happy that perhaps she had another chance, but a little sad that Danny had been hurt yet again. Then too, it could have been Sam that had been hurt as people had seen even less of her than Danny. It was hard to feel sympathetic for her competition, for someone who had always seemed to dislike her and disapprove of her hunting of the ghost boy, Phantom, but she knew what it was like to lose Danny. It may have been her own stupid fault, but that didn't matter.

'Losing Danny is…,' Valerie packed up her purse and left the table with a hurried goodbye to her friends, 'It hurts like hell, and I didn't realize it until it was almost too late. I just hope he'll be willing to start over…and we will start over, no going after him for anything more than a friend at first.'

She'd learned from her past mistake where Danny was concerned. She was going to have to start all over and work her way back into his life, but Valerie figured it was worth it. Holding herself a little more surely than she had the past few months, Valerie headed for home as well, hopeful that she could recapture a good friend and maybe relight an old flame in the process…

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Oh shoot," the frustrated utterance was followed with a very cute groan, and Tucker turned to take in the sight of Star, not five feet behind him looking down at her cell phone in dismay, "Why today?"

"Um, you okay?"

Star was a little startled at first to find Tucker Foley talking to her, as they'd had limited interaction in the past, but was pleased that he didn't seem interested in hitting on her anymore. That, in and of itself, was refreshing.

"I'm fine," she gave a tiny smile, not wanting to encourage him too much, but glad all the same for the friendly face right then, "I just dropped my phone one too many times and now it doesn't want to work right. No big deal, but I did want to call my Mom and tell her I got to the mall fine."

"If you want, I can let you use my phone," Tucker offered the item to her, returning her smiling as she took it and gearing himself up before he could chicken out, "Um, I could take a look at your phone while you talk, too…it's probably just a loose connection. Really easy to fix."

"Well," Star glanced around. They were still a half block from the mall and the street was fairly empty at that time of day, so she didn't run the risk of too many people seeing and then teasing her for her interaction with one of the self proclaimed losers of the school, "I guess…"

"Cool," Tucker slipped the broken phone from her hands, nodding towards his own phone as he popped the back plate off and pulled her battery out, "Go ahead and call…this shouldn't take too long."

Star was on the phone for the span of perhaps a minute and a half if her sense of time hadn't abandoned her, during which she watched as Tucker's hands smoothly worked over the tiny metal plates in the back of her phone, expertly realigning this and testing that as he went. It was finished before she had even told her mother goodbye, and he had the battery back in and the covering back on before she could hang up.

She was duly impressed when it was handed back to her and working again, the cute background she'd snapped of herself and Paulina still there and not lost to whatever had happened, "Wow, thank you so much!"

"Nah, it's cool," Tucker shrugged and blushed the tiniest bit, unused to praise from anyone outside of his friends, family, and teachers, "Just a loose plate, like I thought. Glad I could help, Star."

"No, that was seriously cool," the girl handed his phone back to him and smiled brightly, "My Mom would have shot me if I'd had to get another cell phone. I drop mine all the time and she just about tore my head off when I had to get this one."

"Heh, sounds like my Mom when I ask her for new glasses," the boy shoved his hands into his pants' pockets, Sam's words and encouragement coming back to him, 'Stay cool. No lines, no showing off, just be cool. Act sorta' like it's Sam…only not…crap I'm doomed.'

"They don't get broken that often do they?"

"Ah, no," Tucker waved her off, then turned to walk, surprised to find Star falling into step with him, "Um, so what are you up to? I'm just here to pick up a game I ordered a while back."

"That's cool. I'm just heading to the mall to meet the girls," Star looked up the road to the mall's entrance, "I'm really early though. Um…would you like something to drink from the food court? I mean, it's the least I could do after you fixed my phone and saved me from my Mom…"

'No way…did she just…it's got to be damn cold down in he-'

"Tucker?"

"Um, sure," the boy brought his hand up to fiddle with his glasses, nervous at the sudden prospect of having a girl buy him a drink, 'Relax, just be normal…you can do this.'

"Cool," she sped up slightly, grinning as she walked, "We'll get something to drink and you can show me how to do whatever you just did…maybe I'll lose less phones that way, huh?"

"Probably," Tucker laughed, then reached to hold the door open for her, his reward a happy, shy smile, 'Oh man, this so rocks!'

His medium Coke had never tasted so good, and his confidence had never been so high as he sat teaching Star a few, fairly simple way of fixing her phone's problem, whatever it may be. Tucker decided right then and there that Sam was the best advice giver he'd ever known, and he'd gladly do just as she suggested from there on out…provided that advice kept getting him afternoon moments drinking soda with pretty girls.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Daniel James Fenton, you get your butt in here right now and tell me what you did to Sam!"

Danny winced as he turned from entering his own room and marched towards Jazz's where she stood in her doorway, glaring forcefully as Danni stood just behind her. He should have figured his little clone would find out sooner or later as she was living with Sam, 'The little tattle tale!'

"So," Jazz sat down in her chair as Danny sat on the edge of her bed, raising an eyebrow as he watched Danni float cross legged beside him, "No ghost equipment set up in here yet, huh?"

"Not yet," Jazz answered, then tried her hardest not to grin as Danny joined Danni in the air, "but don't think you can get out of telling me what happened."

"We just had a…misunderstanding in the park," blue eyes met her own and Jazz accepted this statement for fact, knowing her little brother's moods too well to not see the earnest look, "We both got really upset and she said she couldn't figure out if I only like her because she's…what'd she say? 'Some sort of prize' that all the ghosts were after. I figured if I stayed away like I planned, I'd prove that I didn't _have _to be around her."

"Danny, you can't just ignore problems to fix them," Jazz rebuked him, very unhappy with her little brother for not being more considerate towards Sam's feelings, "She probably thinks you still mad at her and don't want to see her."

"She could see me," he pointed out, then grimaced as Danni hit his shoulder.

"Yeah, because it's sooo much fun to go outside and immediately be some sort of ghost magnet," the little girl glared at him, "She went with Tucker to get his video game the other day and when they came back Tuck said he'd caught two more ghosts. They were easy, but still. _I_ wouldn't want to get chased every time I went outside."

"She's perfectly right Danny," Jazz folded her arms and crossed her right leg over her left, settling comfortably into her chair, "Sam doesn't exactly have the option of just walking over here. Especially since _here_ is where the ghost portal happens to be located. If she came by here to see you and you weren't here to make sure the portal was closed or that nothing came out, it could get really complicated, really fast."

"Man," Danny wrinkled his nose and looked at the pair of girls, one on each side and both upset with him, "Alright, alright. I'll call her and see if she wants to come over tomorrow, and we can just hang out. Tucker too, how about that?"

"That sounds like a plan," Jazz grinned, as did Danni, "Now get callin'!"

"I'm going, I'm going…"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Baths had to be one of the most relaxing things that Sam could think of, more especially when there were no halfas to accidentally walk in on her, though she still ran the risk of a random ghost coming by. It had, after all, happened before in the sanctity of her bedroom, so why not her bathroom?

Her mother, as well as her father had already invaded while she was trying to soak, the first wanting to know if she wanted to go shopping for dresses on Wednesday, the second trying to coax her into going shopping with her mother after she had refused earlier. Both had received a firm 'No thanks,' as an answer and then were shuffled from her room so she could resume bathing. Her poor bathrobe had already been soaked through and was now dripping on the floor.

Reclining in the warm water, Sam let the frustration and distress wash away in its heat, glad that there would be no more interruptions that evening. The sound of her cell phone buzzing quickly snapped her from her meditation and had Sam scrambling for her robe again and into her bedroom. She knew that ring and she'd been waiting to hear it all weekend.

"Hello, Danny?"

'Great, sound all breathless and hopeful,' Sam chided herself as soon as she'd answered, 'Way to go Sam, you're supposed to be mad at him!'

"Hey, Sam."

'At least he sounds sorry,' she felt her mouth's corners tug upwards slightly and ignored the fact that she was dripping all over her carpet.

"Um, I heard that you and Tuck went out to get his game," and on the other end of the line Danny was kicking himself for how lame he sounded and how uncomfortable the conversation was quickly becoming, "Anyways, that's not why I called, and…look, I was gonna' invite Tucker over tomorrow just to hang out and I wanted to know if you'd come too?"

'Crap!' Danny was beating himself mentally right then, not at all pleased with what he'd just said, 'What is wrong with me? Why couldn't I just say, 'I'm sorry Sam, I missed you, come over tomorrow'? I'm such an idiot!'

"I'd…I'd really like that," and she meant it. She didn't care that he hadn't said anything about their fight, because he'd at least called, 'I didn't think he was going to…'

"Yeah?" Danny sounded as breathless and hopeful as she had at first and Sam felt her tiny smile growing, "Great…um…so tomorrow just come over whenever. I'll be up and Tuck will probably show up around ten or eleven I bet."

"That's cool," Sam nodded, then glanced around her room. It was still rather empty and missing one young girl, "Hey, do you know where Danni is? I haven't see her all day today…and she was gone most of yesterday."

"She's here, hanging out with Jazz," the boy chuckled, "She said she wanted to give you a break from how annoying she is or something like that. Hey, cut that out, you little runt…ouch! No, I didn't…no, hey!"

It was quickly turning into a circus on Danny's end and Sam could almost picture the scene with the two halfas playfully fighting. Regaining his attention, Sam felt herself breathing a little easier, though she was still unsure as to where she and Danny stood right then. It was just nice that the lines of communication had been reopened.

"Is she coming back here tonight?"

A pause came as he relayed the question, playing messenger for the girls, "She said she'd just spend the night here. We'll see you tomorrow right? Think you can make it here without getting into too much trouble or do you need an escort?"

"I'll be fine, thanks," she bristled slightly at his comment, but decided that Danny was just teasing, albeit at a bad moment, "Bye Danny."

"Night Sam," he answered her, ignoring his sister's and clone's grins at his next statement, "Sweet dreams."

"Uh, you too," he'd caught her off guard yet again and Sam finally smiled fully, "Night."

It was promising to be a very good tomorrow in Sam's eyes. Now if she could just finish her bath, she'd be very happy girl…


	9. Base

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Think of the beginning as a mini-comedic-horror, just for kicks. I think it's pretty funny…

As for Sam and her behavior thus far, in this chapter, and in chapters to come:

She is under a ton of stress if you think about it. She's normally fiercely independent and is suddenly having to rely on other people to take care of her and her problem. She's a living ghost magnet and not enjoying the dangerous attention in the least. She's having problems with Danny, in the Valerie way and in the Phantom is freaking her out for some weird reason way. And to top it all off she doesn't understand anything that is happening to her. I'd be acting weird too if I were in her position!

Anywho, you guys enjoy and tons of love to you. Stick with it, I promise that in…three or four chapters things will begin to right themselves. We've only got eight chapters left by the way!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Nine: Base**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Danny, sweetie," his mother's voice barely roused him from his sleep, the feeling of her fingers slipping over his forehead just registering as he let his eyes slide open. He'd stayed up far too late, having only gone to bed around an hour before, "Just wanted to let you know we'll be down in the lab today, doing the final setup and turning on all the equipment today. Tell Jazz and Danni when you wake up so no one worries where we are."

"M'kay," and with that the boy rolled back over, wanting another three hours of sleep before getting up to face the day and Sam who would be coming over then. By the time Maddie had made it to the door Danny was out again, completely forgetting that he'd even had a conversation with his mother that day.

He'd certainly be regretting it later…

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

A knock, followed by the doorbell, followed by another impatient knock.

'Door…that means that Sam's here!' and Danny was shoving past Danni, Jazz, and Tucker in a bid to reach the door as quickly as he could, "I'm coming! Hold on, hold on!"

He had to ignore their sniggering as they figured out what was going on, deciding it was a bit more important to reach the girl waiting on his front porch. As soon as his hand was on the doorknob and turning the deadbolt another knock came, the rapping quick and sharp and making him wince slightly.

'Why the heck is the door locked?' Sam pounded on the door once again, frustrated that she couldn't simply walk in as she had planned, 'They never lock their door unless they're all gone…'

"Hey, sorry about that," the boy pulled the door open quickly and stood with a hand behind his head, grinning a bit too cutely for his own good, "Parents locked the door so people couldn't just randomly come in. They're down in the lab doing…something. I can't really remember Mom telling me what, though."

"They never mind when people randomly come in though," she made her way in and headed towards the living room, giving the other three a wave as soon as they were in sight, "Hey guys, what gives? You trying to keep the ghost magnet away now or what?"

"Something like that," Tucker teased back, grinning with Danni as they both stuck out their tongue at her. Sam just rolled her eyes and moved to sit with them, opting to sit beside Danni on the floor rather than get stuck with the other three on the couch, "Nah, seriously it's just 'cause the Fenton parental units wanted it that way."

"That's what Danny said," Sam agreed, then rolled her eyes as Danny grinned at the mentioning of his name and Danni looked up at her, confused over something she'd never said, "Danny with a 'y' not Danni with an 'i''."

The round 'o' form of the younger halfa's lips had everyone laughing and feeling a little better. Sam settled herself more comfortably, and found herself leaning on the couch between Danny's legs. He immediately took advantage of the situation by tapping on her head, trying to get her to look up at him, but Sam remained in her original position, ignoring him completely and fighting off the smile on her lips. Things were definitely feeling better between them, even if neither had apologized about anything yet.

Then of course, the electricity flickered, leaving them all in the dark for a few seconds, during which a strange whirring could be heard as something began to glow dimly all around them.

As soon as the lights came back on, the five adolescents in the living room found themselves surrounded by a rather large amount of ghost hunting equipment, nearly all focused on Danny and Danni, though a few were seemingly keeping track of the other three beings in their sights, most specifically on Sam. Danni let out a muffled scream a half second before all the machines fired; some shooting beams, some nets, and some gooey looking slime.

In all it looked terribly lethal and as Sam sat huddled behind the shield that Danny had thrown up and was barely able to maintain, gripping his right calf so tightly she was probably leaving bruises, she had to wonder inwardly over how very strange her life was becoming. It was something straight out of a science fiction horror movie set in the future where the houses were artificially intelligent and decided they wanted to murder everyone inside of them. As the shield cracked a little further, Sam decidedly pushed those thoughts from her head and held tighter, closing her eyes as she huddled closer to the halfa and hoped that he'd figure some way out of this mess.

"Everybody hold on!" and they all lunged for either Danny himself or Sam who was already clinging to him, grabbing whatever they could hold in order for Danny to turn them intangible, "Here we go!"

At that instant the shield dropped, things whizzing through them and all around them, completely destroying the couch where they had been sitting and relaxing scant moments before. Sam opened her eyes and pulled away slightly, relieved to see that Danny hadn't even broken a sweat over what he'd done, though earlier he had seemed quite exhausted from the exertion of maintaining such a large shield.

The boy himself was staring fixedly at Sam, fearing that what he'd done had something to do with her. He shouldn't have been able to hold such a large shield for so long against his parents' machinery, especially since they'd so carefully upgraded everything. He shouldn't be feeling this good after putting that much energy into it, but he was, 'Okay, think about this later…everything is still focused on us and even if something weird is going on, there's no way I can do this for forever…think…where can we go?'

"Danny, do something," Jazz pleaded with him, hanging onto his arm tightly in her fear of what was happening, "Mom and Dad must have turned on all the equipment! They're not going to come up until lunch because they'll be too busy working on things down there to think to check up here!"

"I seriously doubt they're having as many problems as we are right now Jazz," Tucker pointed out from his spot beside her, holding onto her elbow and looking around frantically, "Isn't there _somewhere_ in this house that isn't booby trapped?"

"Jazz's room wasn't a couple of days ago," Danni pointed out, looking far more scared than any of them, happy when Danny nodded his agreement, "Danny, please, let's go there!"

"No, wait!" Jazz tugged him to a stop, worrying over how much longer he could keep up the intangibility, "Mom came in yesterday and put some new gadgets in…"

"Then where the heck…can we go?" the halfa was finally starting to feel the strain of rendering them all untouchable for so long, "Can we just go outside?"

"How will we get all of this stuff to stop then?" Sam finally spoke up, looking around at all the waiting equipment, "Wait a second…go outside Danny, I have a plan."

Thankful that someone had finally managed to think of something to do, the boy happily did as requested, depositing them all on the doorstep. A second later he had to flip himself out of the way, pulling Sam with him as he went and using just a touch of his powers to make it up and over with the girl in his arms. Sam stood dazedly for a second, then relaxed when she was released. The entire situation was making her far too jumpy.

Danni had moved in much the same way, scooting as quickly as she could backwards on her rear, feet pushing her along as a few shots fired at her until she was far enough away from the house. Jazz rushed over to her, as did Tucker to check her for injuries. There were thankfully none, though she was more than a little shook up and was shaking, a few tears sliding down her cheeks, "I am _never_ going in that house again until someone stops the _madness_!"

Sam chuckled at that, happy that Danni hadn't lost her unique sense of humor even in such a dire situation.

"What am I gonna' do now?" Danny huffed out and kicked a rock towards his house, frowning when it actually hit the door and nothing reacted, "Great…it's just me and Danni that can't go in there. Perfect, I can just see it now. Mom standing on the steps demanding that I come inside and me getting fried in the process. _Wonderful_!"

"Calm down, dork," Sam pushed him, breaking his concentration completely as he turned on her with a frown which she ignored, hesitantly pushing forward with her thoughts, "I told you I had a plan, so just listen for a second."

"We're listening," Jazz nodded, still sitting on the ground beside Danni as Tucker knelt beside them, nodding his agreement and still looking a little shocked himself.

"First off, what happened exactly?" Sam looked back towards the house, though the house seemed to be looking back and leering at them, daring them to try entering, "Not that I don't like the remodeling your parents have done or anything."

"Yeah, real cute," Danny shot back, still irritated with everything that had just happened, "They finally turned on the…aw man. Mom woke me up this morning and told me they were turning all the new security features on today…crap!"

"So…security features, as in…a type of ghost burglar alarm or something?" Sam spun on her heel to look at Danny who was standing behind her, "That means there's some way to turn it off right?"

"I…guess so…"

"There is," Jazz nodded as she stood, pulling Danni up along with her, "Down in the lab, but that's where Mom and Dad are. Besides we don't want to turn it all off. They put them up specifically because Vlad…er Plasmius has been threatening Mom."

"When did that happen?" Danny was starting to near critical at that moment and desperately needed something to make some semblance of sense right then, "Why didn't you tell me Jazz, I could have done something!"

"I didn't find out until they started putting stuff up in the living room, and then I accidentally heard them talking about it," Jazz held up her hands placatingly, trying to cool Danny off a little, "I figured they had everything under control and there was no way I could have known it would have turned out like this. They've never made anything _this _sensitive to ecto-signatures, and you know it."

"Okay, so we can't turn it off," Sam frowned and looked towards the asphalt street below her, thinking hard on what could be done, "Is there anyway to disable just enough of the equipment for Danny and Danni to be safe in the house?"

"No, because we'd have to disable it all," Tucker was thinking too, using Sam's idea as a springboard for his own, "But, we _could_ recalibrate all the guns and everything so they didn't bother Danni or Danny! It would be even easier because Danni and Danny have the same signature since they're clones."

"That would make it really specific," Sam chewed on her lips, already knowing that problems could arise from that, "which would mean that _any_ clone of Danny would be safe. Didn't that story about Danny have other clones in it?"

"Yeah, there were other ones, but they all melted," the girl shook her head, a little sad that she had lost her siblings even though they'd never treated her as such, "Vlad said it wasn't difficult to clone Danny at all."

"That means that anyone with enough knowledge could clone me again," Danny nodded, following Sam's line of thinking. Danny's fist hit his open palm, surprising everyone at how forcefully he'd done so, "So that means we're going to have to get even more specific than that."

"How?" Tucker puzzled, glancing between all the other confused faces around him and Danny's nearly crazed grin, "Dude, what are you thinking, and do I even want to know?"

"All we have to do," he began, looking back towards the house with a happy smile on his face, "is make sure all the equipment is calibrated to _Plasmius' _ecto-signature. Two problems solved in one go."

"How are we going to do that?" Jazz started, being the voice of reason as always, "For one thing, it would take way to long to go room to room and try to correct all the equipment, which would also be putting Danni or Danny in danger, and for another, Mom and Dad are down in the lab, where we'd need to go to input the information into their main computer."

"Well," Sam looked humorously back towards the house, a sardonic grin spreading across her face, "They do need a new couch…"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

An hour and much argument later found Jazz and Tucker swinging their heads to look at the entryway of the house of horrors that they'd just come out of. In their minds they knew they were the logical choice, Danni and Danny couldn't get within ten feet of the house, and Sam was probably safer where ever Danny was until her problem could be sorted out, which left them to go through with their carefully constructed plan.

In their minds, they also knew that they had nothing to fear as they were completely human and the house only honed in on ectoplasm and whatever being was using or being held together by it. It was unsettling to be shot at by a house you had known for years to say the least.

'Okay, just up the steps and to the door,' Jazz was mentally preparing herself as she walked besides Tucker, memories of Danny's freshman, and her senior year, when her father was hunting her not helping in the least with her nervousness, 'Just open the door…'

"Jazz," Tucker shot her a strange look, not sure whether the girl beside him was alright or not, "I can just go in by myself. It's not a big deal."

"Maybe not to you," the girl muttered under her breath then straightened and put her hand on the doorknob, "Besides it won't be right if you went and told my parents that the couch was destroyed if I'm supposedly somewhere in the house. They'd get suspicious about what was going on and want to check on everyone."

"You sure?"

The question came too late though as Jazz twisted the handle and pushed the door in, confidently striding ahead towards the kitchen with Tucker hurrying to catch up in her wake, 'Geeze Jazz, you're walking fast today…must be scared.'

That thought brought a brotherly smile to Tucker's face as he followed her through the kitchen and down the stairs of the lab, barely casting a glance to where Plasmius was caged in the corner before redirecting his gaze. He never wanted to be leered at that way again, though today was going to bring about many opportunities for the ghost to do so.

"Mom, Dad?" Jazz questioned as she took in the lab and couldn't find her parents, "Don't tell me they're in the wigwam again…"

"No sweetie," Maddie's head finally appeared from behind a set of consoles, Jack's hand appearing to snag a screwdriver that was hanging from her hand that she had pulled herself up with, "We're just trying to realign the stabilization compartment on this one operating system. It messed with the power for a few seconds, but we seemed to have straightened it out. How are things upstairs?"

"Everything's fine now," Jazz shrugged, trying to play her part well as she watched Tucker roll his eyes and frown, "but um…the couch is obliterated."

"The couch?" Jack's head appeared, joining his wife as they both looked horrified, "My sitting and eating fudge while watching the Greenbay Packers place?"

"Um yeah," Jazz winced, knowing that her father was going to be in quite a mood for the next few moments, lamenting the fall of the couch he so loved, "We just thought that you should know. Danny and Danni and Sam are all up in his room and me and Tucker thought we should probably tell you before we head up too."

"Jazzy-pants," her father rushed and pulled her into a hug, "You're such a good responsible girl…and the couch…"

"It's okay, Mr. Fenton," Tucker patted his back hesitatingly, Maddie watching on with an exasperated, if not slightly fond, smile, "You can always buy a new one."

"That's right, dear," Maddie stepped forward and detached Jack from their daughter, pulling her hood down as she walked him toward the stairs, "We can go right now. The consol is about as good as it will get for now and everything is working well with the minor glitch of the couch…it might have had too much ectoplasmic residue on it and the tracers picked it up."

"But I liked that couch," the man whined while they disappeared out of the lab door and into the kitchen, "Can we get one just like it, it was so comfy?"

"Yes, yes…," but Maddie's voice faded out and soon the pair heard the front door closing. It was time to get to work, and as Tucker started for the computers and quickly shut the new security down, Jazz walked calmly back up the stairs and to the back door, where the two halfas and Sam stood waiting, well away from the house.

It was time to get to work.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Alright, one recalibration process," Tucker stretched his arms forwards with his fingers linked, a rapid succession of popping indicating his moment of loosening up, "Coming right up…"

Jazz knelt beside one of the other computers, carefully unscrewing the metal casing so that access to the wiring system and computer chips could be had in case Tucker would need them in order to reroute the information he was currently inputting. Sam sat on the other side of the lab with Danni, well out of harms way and at the opposite end of the basement from the ghost zone portal. Both girls were feeling a little left out as the other three went to work, Danny's job being the most simple.

All he had to do was hold still for Tucker while in the form of Phantom, when it was easiest to trace his ectoplasmic signature. This let Tucker find the correct coding in the computer to change it to their specifications. It was also a perk, in Danny's case, because it gave him time to watch Plasmius who had sat placidly watching the ensuing activity the entire time. He was thankfully quiet, as were the rest of them…all straining to hear the sound of a door upstairs opening.

The quiet nature of the ghost, however, was both a blessing and a curse. It meant he was watching, plotting, and scheming, and Danny didn't like that at all, 'Fruit loop thinks he's gonna' pull a fast one on me today? No way, buddy…you'll be fried extra crispy if you try anything while everyone is here with me.'

"Alright, I got your signature," Tucker nodded to the boy, who turned to stand more fully facing Plasmius, "All we need to do now is hone in on the one signature we want it to find and I'll rewrite the code. It should keep the weapons trained on him at all times, but would probably only fire if he made it outside of the containment unit."

"Tucker, do you need into this part?" Jazz called from across the way, looking at the panel she'd just taken off, "It doesn't look like what you described."

"Nah, sorry," he shook his head, glancing between the screen and her, "Your parents did this system a little differently. I can rewrite everything from right here and not have to mess with any of that."

"Great," Danny smiled briefly, then looked over to where the other two girls sat, "Um…you don't need me to be right here at this spot anymore right?"

"No man," Tucker waved him off, more focused on what he was doing at the moment.

Danni, the older halfa noticed, was looking more than a little uncomfortable right then and with good reason. When Plasmius' attention was not focused on Danny, it was split between Sam and Danielle, making the younger girl extremely nervous after her previous encounter with him, which she still had not told in detail to anyone. Danny was beginning to wonder though, if she'd perhaps told Sam, as Sam had positioned herself so as to block her from the ghost's view after a few moments of his unwanted attention.

"So you two young ladies," the boy strode up, standing tall and confident as ever while in the guise of a superhero, "Is there anything I can do for you today? Personal ghost type hero, at your service."

The cheeky grin on his face should have made Sam laugh. It should have made her feel even more attracted to him in that moment or set butterflies winging through her stomach. It should have, but instead she found herself uncomfortable in his presence, not wanting the attention for no apparent reason at all. She was honestly having a hard time looking him straight in the face, but she forced herself to, desperately wanting to appear normal right then.

"How about some ice cream after this?" Danni piped up quickly, hoping that the younger Fenton sibling would be just as willing as the older. Jazz had finished with her task and walked over to Tucker, watching as he input script and offering suggestions every now and again when she heard the question.

"Don't listen to her Danny," Jazz teased, then turned back to helping Tucker, "She'll eat you out of your entire allowance and your savings before you even realize it. She's done it twice to me already."

"Sneaky," Danny nodded his approval, making the younger girl laugh, "Very good, young grasshopper…"

"Yes, very good," Plasmius' voice finally made its way to them from the corner, "The two of you are getting so close, so very close, to being so very much like myself. First the bribing, then the twisting of words to get your way. Sneakiness is always a plus, as you said Danny Phantom."

"Shut it fruit loop," both Fenton siblings growled out, leaving Tucker laughing, Danni with a tiny grin on her face…and Sam backing away slightly, holding the edge of her skirt and looking away from Danny.

"What's up Sam, too cold around a ghost?" the boy teased gently, holding his palm out to her with a small ice crystal standing on end, "Just for you…"

Her hand inched out, and she tried her hardest to ignore the fact that she was trembling, not truly wanting to take the crystal from the cupped palm in front of her for no other reason that her mind kept screaming 'Ghost!' at her. The slight shake to her hand did not go unnoticed by the halfa in front of her and he took the initiative to pick the crystal up with his own gloved fingers and gently place it in the girl's waiting hand, "Do you like it?"

"It's nice," Sam spoke softly, more relaxed now that she had the object in her hand, "Why isn't it melting?"

"Because I don't want it to," Danny smiled, then threw a nasty glare over his shoulder to Plasmius who was leering and jeering them all as he'd been speaking with Sam, "Give it a rest."

"Not until I get out," the ghost smiled maliciously, insanely, then retreated to a corner to sit and watch them all.

"Danni, why don't you head back to my room and play games for a little while?" the older of the two halfas gave her a sympathetic smile, knowing full well how Vlad's taunting had effected him when he was younger, and still managed to hit a nerve at times, "It's gotta' be boring just sitting around down here. I know I'm bored."

"Okay, and I'll even beat your records on Time Crosos Two O!" the girl happily proclaimed as she ran up the stairs, the door to the lab making a metallic sound as it closed. Sam was left alone on her side of the room with Danny, who was still standing as his alter ego, cocky and smiling as always and moving to sit beside her.

"So…how has the weekend been?"

It was that same nervous smile, the hand behind his neck, and the familiar gleam in his eyes that let Sam sink further into a more relaxed mood, the ice crystal slowly rotating in her fingers as she thought over what she would say and how she would say it, "It was a little boring really. Not as many ghost though."

"Well, you know wh-"

"Thank you," Sam cut him off, not meaning to be mean but afraid that she wouldn't manage to get it out, "for…I though that maybe you had been doing it."

"That and playing games at the arcade all day," Danny sighed heavily, then reached for the ice crystal in Sam's hand, grinning when she playfully pulled it out of his reach, "Fine, I'll just make more."

"Fine," Sam laughed, then watched as he did just as he said. Some were smaller, some were larger, and some were of a completely different shape or color, which impressed Sam the most. The second he made a crystal swirling with green energy though, Sam's heart started to race and she couldn't bring herself to move, 'What's wrong with me…why am I…'

"Check this out," Danny smirked, all self confidence and arrogance in that moment as he started to make all the crystals float, concentration clear on his face, "I've been practicing and-"

"I need to go."

The rustle of Sam's skirt and the thud of her boots hitting the metallic floor brought Tucker and Jazz's attention around to see Sam literally running up the stairs with Danny standing at the base, a confused, hurt look crossing his countenance. Pleading green eyes turned towards the pair and both immediately knew what he was asking of them.

"Hurry up or she'll get away, she already runs faster than you do anyways," Jazz pointed towards the door, Tucker nodding his agreement, "We're nearly done anyways."

An echoing, "Thank you!" was all that remained of Danny, already gone to catch the girl on the run, his mind only concentrating on what could have possibly happened.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"If she got on the track team, the couch would weep with joy," Danny lamented to himself as he hovered over the streets of Amity Park, finally having spotted Sam about three blocks from the Nasty Burger where she appeared to be heading. Taking a risk, Danny landed in the alley beside the fast food restaurant, changing quickly and moving to lean on the brick wall, arms folded and a frown on his face, 'What is up with that crazy girl anyways?'

Right on time, Sam came around the corner, finally having slowed from a full out run to a jog, and, apparently at the sight of the building, deciding that a walk would suit her well. Until she saw Danny standing there and waiting patiently for her arrival. Figuring it was now or never, the girl calmly walked up to the young man, surprised that she no longer felt the over ridding need to get away from him.

'But why?' she smiled tightly, then moved to stand against the building with him, 'He's Danny, anyway I look at him. It doesn't matter if he's Phantom, because that is _not_ a different person…why can't I make myself see that?'

"You okay?" Danny asked softly, turning to face her and feeling slightly uncomfortable with the entire situation, "You wanna' go in and get something to eat? We haven't gotten to go out in a while…"

"Sure," Sam heaved a sigh, releasing all the whirling thoughts and trying to just take the moment for what it was, "I am hungry. We were supposed to eat lunch at your house, but with the whole house trying to kill us all thing…"

"Yeah, that sucked," the halfa nodded, then held the door open for her, both slipping inside and ordering, a malt and a salad for Sam, a soda and a hamburger for Danny, though neither was really interested at food at the moment. Their minds sat on what had happened in the lab.

'We're going to talk about this,' Danny promised himself as they sat down, a ticket in his hands with their order number, 'We have to.'

"Listen Danny, about what happened," Sam had beaten him to it, impressing him that she was so willing to talk with him. It made him feel good, as though even though it was going wrong at that moment, she wasn't just going to give up on what they had, "I know I've been acting strangely lately, and I really don't know why. I'm so-"

"Hey Danny," Valerie's voice came from the doorway before she spotted Sam in the booth, a tense, wearied look on both their faces, 'Wow, either I picked the wrong moment, or I just saved them both from some huge fight in public. Good for me.'

"Um, hey Val," Danny grinned nervously, not wanting to completely dismiss the girl, but definitely not wanting to get on Sam's bad side, "What are you doing here?"

'Of all places and at all times, too,' Sam bitterly thought to herself as Valerie made her way to the table and stood by its edge, "Hello Valerie."

"Hi," Valerie answered in kind, noting that Sam was not at all pleased and Danny seemed perfectly alright with her presence. Once again however, Valerie had jumped the gun, wanting to see something that wasn't there, 'Perfect. Maybe my being here will be a good thing.'

"Are you here for dinner?"

"Yeah," Valerie smiled Danny's way, ignoring the girl whom she had just spoken with, "Dad's working late tonight and I don't feel like cooking. Figured this was the best place to go."

"Probably," the halfa was stuck, trying to keep up the friendly rapport that had been building between himself and Valerie, not wanting either of them to lose a good friendship, "Um, listen…"

"Hey Danny," Sam cut in quickly when she heard his hesitation, sending a quick, thin lipped smile his way as she stood, "I have to get home. I'll call you later alright?"

"Why?" he stood too, forcing Valerie to take a step back, "I thought we were talking?"

"I'll call you and we'll talk then," Sam moved towards the door, not noticing that Danny was partially following her until he found himself blocked by Valerie.

"Let her go cool down," Valerie suggested as she pushed him back towards the booth, "We can sit and chat alright?"

"Maybe some other time, Val," Danny glumly moved forward again, handing his ticket to Valerie, "You can have the burger and drinks. I'm gonna' head home, so I'll see ya' later."

"Okay...um, bye Danny," and Valerie was left alone with the ticket in her hand, Danny walking quietly away and through the door.

By the time Danny had arrived home, the changes had been made and the system restarted. Everything was working perfectly, it seemed, 'Except for my relationship. Why do my relationships always have to go down the drain because of something ghost related?'

Really though, the harder Danny thought the less he found it 'going down the drain' as he so glumly had thought before. Sam had been trying, and so was he, and if anything he knew the old adage, 'Where there's a will, there's a way,' was very true. It would just take time to smooth out the kinks, he was sure. He would just have to wait patiently.

And he did, right beside his phone for the rest of the evening.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Sam hadn't gone home like she thought she would. The longer she walked the closer to the park she seemed to wander and it didn't take long before she was seated on a bench right inside the park's always open gates. It seemed odd that the place even had gates at all when the walls were short enough to hop over.

'Today has been horrible, just like the last few days,' Sam thought sadly to herself, tracing a pattern on the park bench beside her with the tip of her pointer finger, 'I should have said that…not just 'boring' when Danny asked me. I missed him.'

Getting up, Sam let her feet take here where they pleased, though this time it seemed it was straight to her house and into the kitchen. The girl was pleasantly surprised to see her grandmother there, enjoying an afternoon cup of coffee while she read a book at the table. Her smile met Sam as she walked through the door, and the young woman felt her day brighten.

"Sam, where have you been?" the book was set gently upon the table, well loved and worn pages crinkling softly, "What's wrong, Bubeleh?"

"Just a really long day, Grandma," Sam sat in the chair beside the older woman's wheelchair, leaning against the table as she talked, "Something's wrong with me."

"Well, it's one of two things," Ida Manson slowly turned her chair to the side, fully facing Sam as she spoke with all her years of wisdom behind her, "You're either in love, or you're trying to decide if you should start wearing more girly clothes like you mother wants you to."

"Grandma," Sam frowned and chastised her, Ida laughing gently as she did so, "The day I wear pastels is the day you give up bowling. As for Danny…"

"Ah, so I finally learn that handsome young man's name," she nodded, pleased that Sam was talking about what was bothering her.

"I can't really talk about it," Sam frowned, wanting to explain everything to her grandmother and get her opinion on things, "I promised I wouldn't and it's not the kind of promise I can just break…but things are getting harder and harder, and then Valerie showed up, and everything's just getting worse as far as I can tell."

"Bubeleh," a gentle, wrinkled hand turned Sam's face up, eyes identical to her own though older holding her in a stern gaze, "Sam. Listen to me very carefully. You are young, but that doesn't mean you don't know your own heart. The only problem is you are the most hotheaded, stubborn young woman I have ever known of, besides myself. You're going to get hurt, even by the people you care about and who care about you, but that doesn't mean you can't fix things if you really want to."

"I don't know how, though."

It had been a firm statement, not a plea for pity or sympathy and Ida smiled at how strong the young woman before her was becoming, "You'll figure it out. Now, go on upstairs and relax a little while. You said you had a long day after all."

"Thank you," Sam wrapped her arms around her grandmother and planted a gentle kiss on her head, "You're the best, Grandma."

"So I've been told," she chuckled and watched as Sam headed out the kitchen door, "And don't forget, sometimes when you need to cry, you should just get it out!"

Shaking her head slightly, Sam seriously considered what her grandmother had told her. Especially her last sentence, 'How did she know that I feel like that?'

"I wish…no, no I don't. I want life to make sense," the hurriedly corrected sentence had Sam cautiously glancing around for any signs of the wishing ghost, though none seemed apparent. The only thing that was apparent, as Sam finally got to her peacefully isolated room, was that nothing ever quite worked the way she planned, "Oh, not again."

There on her bed sat a happily smiling Youngblood, tapping away on the keys to one of her portable games and enjoying himself far too much. Sam simply shut the door and grimaced, knowing that the situation could go any number of ways, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you," the boy shrugged, then glanced up from the game, finding Sam far more interesting for some unsettling reason.

"Why?" Sam finally managed to get out, her frustration over the past few weeks' events finally starting to boil over, "Why are you so interested in me? Why are all the ghosts interested, why is Danni here, why did Danny…Why, Youngblood?"

The young child could only shrug as he helplessly watched Sam slide down the door to sit on the floor, curling in on herself as she hid from the world. She just wanted everything to go away and for it all to stop bothering here. Drifting closer, the ghost child realized that there would be no more out of the girl for quite some time, the sniffling sounds indicating that she was in no mood to play.

"Geeze, no need to be a crybaby," Youngblood backed towards the window, never sure of how to deal with a crying girl, and realizing that Danny Phantom could appear at any moment, "Aw, who wants to play with you anyways? I'm out of here."

The rest of the evening Sam spent in the solace of her room, ignoring anything that wasn't her music or her bed. She didn't touch her cell phone the entire night, though it was only from forgetfulness in the face of everything happening.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

It was midnight when Danny stealthily made his way into Sam's room to find her curled around herself on top of her covers, the music still playing softly in the background and the girl herself still fully clothed. Her arms were wrapped around a pillow and grit stood out prominently in the corners of her eyes. She had been crying.

'At least she's alright,' the halfa very gently phased her heavy boots off, placing them beside the bed, then changed back into his normal, human self. She had seemed so fidgety and nervous around him whenever he was Phantom, that it seemed safer to be Fenton in case she woke up, 'I was worried when she still hadn't called, but I guess she…was upset and fell asleep or something. Thank God she's alright and there aren't any ghosts.'

Carefully, Danny moved an arm around Sam, tugging the pillow free with his other before finally scooping her up and laying her in what was a seemingly far more comfortable position. The blankets were then phased out from under her body and laid over her, Danny smiling a little as he did so, 'I'm sorry everything's so hard right now, Sam. It's got to be five times as hard on you though…'

Task finished, the boy pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, thinking everything over. No realizations, revelations, or concluding thoughts hit him and he bowed out as quickly as he came, wondering just how he was going to help Sam. He'd been ignoring the problem for too long, hoping that something would come to him. It was time he started thinking about who could help him and where he could research her rather odd problem.

He would have to think on it, and fell asleep feeling no less frustrated than Sam had earlier. In every way possible, they made quite the pair.


	10. Acid

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Ah! It's so short! But at least I got out what I needed to get out and this chapter is done. Now we only have seven left! I'm so excited!  
Typos? Let me know, I did this chapter rather quickly…

Love you all.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Ten: Acid**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

The wind was refreshingly cool against Danny's face that particular evening, the feeling of condensed water in the form of clouds washing away all his thoughts over his recent troubles as he skimmed through a cloud, then headed back earthward in order to continue his patrol. He had heard from Sam not ten minutes before, saying she was sorry she hadn't called, she couldn't talk long because her parents were after her for something, and she'd call him again that day.

He was hoping she meant evening as it was already five o'clock.

Things had gone well so far that day. Only the Box Ghost had been sighted, which gave Danny the opportunity to release some pent up stress on the poor creature before he'd captured him. In all, Danny considered for a moment as he hovered in place, things were going far better than he had expected them to. There should have been at least one other ghost heading towards Sam's house today, but nothing had happened thus far.

'I feel like that should bother me,' the boy still hovered as he thought, taking in his surroundings and carefully monitoring the world around him, 'but it doesn't. Guess I'm a little too thankful for the break right now.'

Taking off again, Danny flew for another five or so minutes before spotting the silhouette of Valerie on her hover board, more than likely also out on patrol for the evening. She was flying low to the ground and scanning the area, and the halfa was just thankful she hadn't caught sight of him yet. Dropping to the ground quickly, Danny hurriedly changed behind a few bushes that lined a neighborhood sidewalk, then continued on his way as Fenton, pleased that he'd managed to avoid a run in with the huntress.

"Hey, what are you doing out so late?"

Valerie had managed to spot him after all, it seemed, and Danny turned with a shrug to answer the girl as her battle suit retracted itself, "Just out for a walk. It's a pretty nice evening."

"Yeah, I was just out flying around," the girl smirked, pleased that she could talk openly with the boy about her hunting now that she knew he knew about it, "I was kinda' on patrol but it felt too good flying to really pay attention."

'Tell me about it,' Danny nodded in agreement, then looked back over his shoulder, wanting to continue his walk at the very least, if not his patrol. Valerie picked up on this easily and started to move forward, grinning to Danny as they both started walking.

"So, wanna' head to the Nasty Burger and grab a quick drink?" the girl beamed, making Danny slightly uncomfortable in the face of everything that had happened between them, "Just on friendly terms Danny, I know you don't want anything else from me right now. Besides, we both probably have places we need to be."

"Um, I guess," Danny nodded, not able to shake the feeling that he was doing something wrong, but not able to rationalize just what that was, 'It's just a drink between friends. Me and Tucker go and do that, and before we were together me and Sam would too. It's fine as long as she doesn't think it's anything else.'

"Good," and they continued walking, chatting about how summer had gone so far, the strange increase of ghosts, and the fact that the council had finally started to publish the lists of ghosts according to Phantom's recommendations. Valerie had a great deal to say about the last subject, but the halfa mostly tuned her out.

He was used to doing so whenever she'd start to rant about 'that ghost kid', though he found this time it didn't bother him quite so much.

After ordering and receiving their purchases, Valerie chose a table near the side of the restaurant where they could watch the main street from the windows as they talked. Thirty minutes and two sodas later still found them in the same place, enjoying each other's company and reminiscing over old times.

Another twenty minutes later had them laughing their heads off about something that had happened on one of their dates, and fond smiles being shared between the two. Sitting back to sip at his drink, Danny was pleased that he still had such a wonderful friend, thinking on how nice it was that they could just talk again without the stress they'd felt before when dating.

Valerie on the other hand was feeling hopeful, all the good memories far outweighing the months of bad feelings and bad times in her mind. Taking a chance, she leaned forward and snagged Danny's hand across the table, smiling at him, "I'm glad we decided to chat, I really missed talking to you Danny."

"Yeah, this is nice," he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then pulled back, not completely comfortable with sitting and holding her hand, "I'm glad too."

"Danny, I know I've asked you before, and I know you just want to be friends and I respect that," Valerie was looking him straight in the eye, building herself up to asking him what she considered a very important question, "but do you think we could ever try being together again?"

"Val," the boy paused with a frown on his face, thinking of Sam and what she'd have to say about the situation, 'Probably something along the lines of 'No way in hell' and then we'd both get an earful.'

A tiny grin and chuckle had pulled across his face, then it fell again, a nervousness which wasn't uncommon making his lips twitch downwards again, 'Then again, if she walked in right now, I'd probably be dead meat, especially with everything going on. At least it would prove I wasn't just with her because of her problem…'

"Danny?"

Her voice snapped him from his thinking and he quickly shook his head 'no', standing with his drink in one fluid motion, "No Val, I'm sorry. We're great as friends, but not so much when we're together. I really wish you'd stop asking me."

'But you hesitated,' Valerie was thinking to herself, not sure what to do next as she watched him leave with a strange look on his face, 'What's going on Danny? It has to be something between you and Sam…and I'll be here when you need a friend to lean on. I just hope you realize that I could be more when it finally ends. Seriously, how much longer do you think the two of you are going to last?'

Shaking her head at whatever was running through Danny's head, Valerie threw her trash away and headed out the door, quickly changing and hopping on her board to make it home before her father did that evening. She didn't wish ill for Danny, but she certainly wouldn't mind if their relationship fell apart, even if it was little by little and took longer than she might have liked. She'd just have to keep making her presence known…just in case.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Alright, I know you have your cell on you,' Sam thought as she bent over to tie her tennis shoes, getting ready to talk to Danny and prepare for an evening run at the same time, 'You've been keeping it on you just in case, and I talked you about an hour ago…'

"Hey, Sam," Danny's voice finally came from the other end of the line, sounding slightly off for some reason or other, "What's going on?"

"Just getting ready to go for a run; down to the park, around it, and back," Sam sat back up, stretching her back as she did so.

"This late?" Danny glanced around, the sun hadn't set yet, but it would start sinking soon. It was nice and cool however, so he supposed it made sense, "Do you think that's smart Sam?"

"It'll be fine," the girl grinned triumphantly, patting her short's only pocket as she stood, "I'm taking the Fenton lipstick, so I'll at least be able to take care of myself. Plus I finally talked Tucker into letting me borrow his thermos."

'You asked Tucker? Why not me?' the boy had pulled the phone away with a frown, glaring at the ground for a second as a wave of jealousy rushed over him, "You could have just asked me…"

"I would have…but we haven't exactly been talking lately," her tone clearly indicated she was upset by this, and Danny winced as he realized that he was partially at fault, "Besides, you've been doing a lot lately, and I want to be able to do some things on my own."

"I guess," but the halfa didn't like that idea at all, his own tone making that clear as it came out in more of a snort than reassurance. Danny held his breath until he realized Sam was letting it slide, thankful that she was either not paying that much attention to him or purposefully ignoring his remark, 'That was stupid Fenton…don't insult her, idiot!'

"So what are you up to?" Sam's voice was a little more dry than it normally was when she was speaking with him, bringing about the realization that she had indeed heard his smart aleck comment, "You sound like you're still out and about."

"Yeah, just got done at the Nasty Burger," a loud slurp was heard as he proved it, setting a small smile on the girl's face, "See? Soda…yum."

"Uh huh," Sam rolled her eyes and started to stretch out her legs, enjoying the feeling greatly and relieved that she was finally going to get to exercise outside, as she'd been wanting to do for a while, "Did you meet Tucker there?"

"Um, not exactly," the young man swallowed hard, figuring it was best to just put the truth out there before Sam thought he was hiding it from her, "I actually sorta' saw Valerie while I was walking around and we ended up getting a couple of sodas and talking for a while."

"Oh," Sam sounded genuinely surprised, and actually sat on the floor to concentrate more fully on what her halfa was saying, "So…did it go okay?"

'You don't even like her,' Danny smiled to himself, knowing that Sam only asked because it mattered to him. She was definitely one of a kind, "Yeah, it was nice. We talked a lot, and had a good time. The only part that really bothered me was when she held my hand."

"You held hands?"

Was it Danny or was her voice growing more quiet…was it with anger or fear…?

"Just for a second, sort of like a friendly gesture?" he didn't sound confident at all and he was well aware of it, even before a very un-ladylike snort was heard from Sam's end of the line, "It wasn't a big deal."

"I guess," Sam moved to stand and rolled her shoulders, ready to go, but not ready to end her conversation with Danny yet. She was feeling particularly insecure at that moment, and as she walked down the stairs towards the front door, she decided she'd just have to suck it up and put all her cards on the table, "Did anything else happen?"

"Yeah," and he was quiet for a moment, making Sam's heart thump heavily in her chest and her breathing slow as she listened, "She asked again if we could…if we could be more than friends."

'Doesn't she know that me and Danny are together?' Sam fought the urge to stomp her foot and settled instead for grinding her teeth as she listened to Danny on the other end of the line, her face falling with every word out of his mouth, 'What…?'

"I think she might have gotten the wrong idea though, 'cause I sorta' paused before I answered her," Danny was rambling, nervously pacing beneath a streetlight as he talked, silently praying that things wouldn't be misinterpreted by Sam, "I was just thinking about us and everything that's been happening to us and between us and I told her no, but then I left, so I'm not sure exactly what she was thinking…"

"You were thinking about what's happening between us?" Sam swallowed hard, wanting to think that Danny hadn't meant anything other than the issues they were working through. She couldn't help as doubt began to creep into her mind, 'What if he means he doesn't want to work it out…that doesn't make sense, Danny works things out no matter what, I know how hard he tried with Valerie. Than again maybe this is different…it is a lot more stressful I'm sure…I need to clear my head…'

"Danny," Sam cut him off before he could start talking again, taking a deep breath to try and cover the nervousness that was pervading her entire body, "I'm going to go for a run. I…I need to clear my head and I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Sa-"

She snapped her phone off and tucked it into her pocket along side the lipstick. The thermos was firmly in her left hand, and as soon as she had opened and shut the door, she was running, trying to sort out all of the emotions running through her at that moment. It was going to take some time, and Sam just hoped that Danny had the good sense to leave her alone until then. If not, he was probably going to get the browbeating of his life, which she doubted would help things between them at all.

'Stupid boys…stupid ghosts…stupid Valerie!' Her mantra kept repeating in her mind the entire way to the park.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Fancy meeting you here in the middle of a sunset," Phantom had popped up out of nowhere in Sam's path and she'd barely managed to maintain the frightened squeal she'd almost let out, twisting out of slamming into him at the last second and sliding to a stop with a scared look on her face, "Sam? Oh man, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you…"

"N-no, it's fine," she was breathing far more heavily now than she had been a second ago, having been scared senseless by the one person she thought she'd never fear, "I…I didn't want to talk to you right now, Danny. I just….wanted to cool down a little bit first."

"I know," he took a step closer and puzzled as she took a step further away from him, "But I think we really need to talk. There's too much going on right now Sam."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam crossed her arms, frowning as several thoughts raced through her mind and she voiced them all, "Too much going on for us to be together, or too much going on with ghosts, or too much going on with Valerie?"

"Why do you automatically think Valerie has anything to do with it?" Danny stood with his arms folded also, ignoring the setting sun and the rapidly cooling air. He figured it was just his presence in the area, 'Please don't act like Valerie and jump to conclusions…please, please, please.'

"Because you just talked to her, Danny," Sam pointed out, "Because you said that you had to think about 'us' before you answered her question about the two of you getting back together. Usually when that happens it means the boy is considering his options, and I do-"

"Crap!" Danny lunged for Sam, noticing too late his breath coming out in a mist as she was pulled up into the air with a tiny scream ripping from her throat, "Sam!"

"Let me go!" the girl was demanding even as she hovered several feet in the air, swinging the hand with the thermos so as to try and hit the ghost's face, "Right now, or I swear you'll regret it."

"How so, little human?" the ghost appeared, a long face with distorted features curiously looking down on her, "I doubt you have any way to utilize what you have."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam shot back curiously, then grew angry as the ghost simply laughed at her. Struggling found his grip tightening on her, and Sam began to have trouble breathing. Thankfully, Danny had taken the ghost's distraction as a chance to sneak up invisibly to Sam, phasing her out of his hold and rocketing away to set her safely on the ground, "Danny?"

"Stay here Sam," it was a quiet demand, though unlike the last few weeks it was much more gentle, and filled with a pleading that Sam could easily recognize as he turned to face their enemy, "Please? I know I haven't exactly been the nicest guy lately when it comes to fighting these ghosts for you, but I just don't want you to get hurt…"

"Danny, you can't make me do anything," Sam put a hand on his shoulder from where she stood behind him, slipping the thermos into his other hand and surprising him greatly, "I'm going to try to help you because I don't like seeing you get hurt either."

A curt nod was Sam's answer as Danny rocketed up and towards the oncoming ghost, knowing he'd have to end the fight quickly before he drew too much attention. There was some event happening on the other side of the park and he'd flown over it on his way here. Unfortunately, it seemed most of the people at the gathering were very anti-ghost…even of the Phantom kind. There was no way he wanted to put up with anything of that sort at that particular time.

The fight was going great, until the other ghost got in a lucky upper cut and sent Danny tumbling end over end mid air. He finally got his bearings and halted his backwards progress, stopping to shake his head and clear the cobwebs that were gracing his line of vision. As soon as he did though, he wished he hadn't paused at all.

The ghost was four feet from Sam and reaching out, about to snatch her, 'No…'

Danny started to fly, pushing himself to reach her when he observed her calmly pulling a small silver tube from her pocket, pulling the cap off, and firing in one smooth motion. The ghost went one way, shocked and badly injured with burns on his face, and Sam fell the other way, landing hard on her back and winding her for a second.

Danny hovered between the two, then shook his head and uncapped the thermos. It was probably best if he took care of the immediate threat first, then checked on Sam, 'Speaking of which,' and he immediately landed beside her in a crouch. Her eyelids were rapidly moving as she blinked away the shock of being thrown on her back so forcefully, and as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, Danny realized she was a lot tougher than he'd been giving her credit for.

"Are you okay?"

His voice seemed to snap her from her temporary stupor and her head whipped around to face him. She was dazed, but managed to nod her head. Danny simply chuckled and stood, towering over her then and fairly glowing with energy that he'd built up but hadn't expended in the fight. A gloved hand came down in front of her offering to pull her up…

…and Sam could only stare at it, fighting inside of her own mind over what to do.

She looked away quickly as tears started to build in her eyes, though none fell, guilt over how she'd been acting around him and reacting to him washing over her as she found she couldn't take his hand. She couldn't take it…because she was afraid of him.

It didn't even make sense in her own mind. Here was sweet, shy, Danny Fenton, the hero in disguise with a heart of gold and a good head on his shoulders. He'd saved their town, the people, and according to some, the world. He'd been actively saving her for the past few months and she'd seen just how embroiled his life was. How in the world was she afraid of him?

"I-I just…I can't," Sam stood by herself shaking slightly and moving away, completely at odds with her own self, "Danny…I…I'm…"

'I can't just tell him though,' Sam thought, watching as he stood with hurt in his eyes at the refusal of his offered hand, 'He'll be so hurt…even worse than he is now. That's the last thing I want…for him to know I'm afraid of him, and I can't even give him a reason why…'

"Please, Danny," Sam pleaded, but wasn't sure why, torn between running away from him and comforting him, "Please…"

"It's okay," he soothed her, speaking softly and backing away, "It's fine Sam…I know you've been having a tough time. When you're ready to talk…we'll talk."

"Thank you," she was breathing easier now, forcing herself to look at the ground and not at the boy, listening to the voice of Danny and making herself think only on that, even if it had that eerie echoing quality. It was easier to be around him as Fenton and she was doing her best to keep calm at the moment, wondering what was wrong with her over and over again in her mind.

"Anytime," and he meant it, turning slightly as she started to move off, "Be careful."

"I will," and then she was gone again, running back the way she had come with the lipstick clutched firmly in her hands as it had been the entire time. Watching her leave was tearing Danny apart, but what else could he do?

'Patience,' he told himself as he blew out a breath, more bothered than he let on about what had just occurred, 'Patience, and time, and a lot more research than I've done…and…_time_!'

The halfa literally hit his own forehead with his palm as he shot into the air, 'And I've got just the guy to help me out.'

It was turning out to be a much longer night than he had expected, but that was fine. It was for Sam after all.


	11. Time

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Um…on a really random note, I was just informed that I was nominated for the Danny Phantom Fanfic Awards for both _Links in the Chain _and_ Roanoke_. Thank you to my nominator, though I'll leave you un-named just in case. (I never know, lol!)

Um…so go and check out the Award site as there are SEVERAL great stories, all of which I highly recommend to you. There's a little bit of everything, so get reading!

Oh, and this chapter's short too…what's up with me lately? At least I'm getting them out fast right? Ah well, love you all! (Not edited so typo info. is greatly appreciated!)

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Eleven: Time**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Danny?" the quiet voice caught him off guard for a second as he hovered with his hand over the scanner, ready to open the lock on the ghost portal's door. Turning to look at the lab entrance he found his clone hovering just inside the door, her hands shoved deep within her pockets, "Where ya' going?"

"Just to visit an old friend," Danny's hand landed finally and the machinery recognized him, opening immediately, "I think he'll be able to help me with some of the problems around here. He's pretty smart and always knows what's going on…"

"Can I come with you?" Danni started down the stairs, walking quietly so as not to draw Plasmius' attention to her more than she was, "I kinda' want out of the house, but I don't want to bother Sam…"

"You wouldn't bother her," Danny shook his head as he waited for the younger halfa to reach him, "She likes having you there, 'cause if she didn't she'd tell you. That's just how Sam is."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure," the young man rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and fixing the younger girl with a stern look, "Now, are you so sure you can keep up with me?"

"I can come with you?" Danni's eyes lit up, much to the sneering dislike of Plasmius who was sitting quietly in the corner, resting from a number of rigorous tests he'd been put through earlier by the elder Fentons, "There's no way I couldn't keep up with you, you're soft!"

"Eh, if you're sure," the boy started to float through the portal, teasing and testing the young girl hot on his heels, "Let's go…"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"_Let's go…"_

'So they're finally making their way here,' the man glanced down into one of the many open portals around him, displaying the present and making tracking the halfas' progress so much easier, "Wonderful."

'They will be here in twenty two minutes and thirty seven seconds,' Clockwork backed from watching their flight, already knowing it could go smoothly or badly, depending upon thousands of other factors which were partially unimportant at the moment, 'Sometimes, ghosts are not immune to headaches, which I am eternally frustrated by.'

Walking around and making final preparations, Clockwork took in his castle for a moment, unsure for one of the few times in his life how this would effect him and the world specifically. In other words, he was nervous and the feeling was foreign and not one he wished to get used to. There were so many possible outcomes that it made his head spin, but several had been positive, so he was going to try his best.

'I can only hope that I do not fail,' he carefully started walking towards his entryway, twenty two minutes and twenty seven seconds later, making it to the front door just in time to open it with Danny's first partially raised in the air to knock. He rather enjoyed doing that to people, "Danny, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Um, hey Clockwork," Danny fidgeted for a moment, then decided that perhaps charging ahead would be the easiest way, especially with the ghost before him who already knew why he was there, "Can you tell me what's going on with Sam?"

'I wish I could,' and older eyes showed this to Danny, who was already figuring out at the long pause that Clockwork would not be able to help him with this, "Why don't you both come in and we'll discuss this as far as time will allow. It's nice to finally meet you Danielle."

"Um, same here," the girl's head poked out from behind Danny, awestruck at the powerful creature before her. Danny had told her many stories of this ghost and how strong he was, the most impressive part being he was neither good nor evil, just a constant observant of events happening through time who tried to keep things on the correct path. She knew, however, that he was slightly more biased towards happy endings, as he'd already proved numerous times, 'Maybe he'll know what to do for Sam! He said we could talk about it…'

"I'm pleased that you finally came for a visit Danny, I haven't seen you in person in quite some time," the older ghost led the way to one of the main rooms where several portals were set up, motioning for the two halfas to sit on the comfy armchairs set up in the corner.

"Yeah, so I guess that means you've been watching what's going on, and what has happened, and all the what might happens, right?"

Chuckling, Clockwork nodded while Danni sat mouthing the sentence to herself, trying to figure out what Danny had just said and failing, a frustrated pout settling on her face, "Yes, I have been watching, and stop fretting little one, you'll understand Time the more you are around it. Danny was a fast learner and I'm sure you will be as well."

A pause settled over them as the sat in their own thoughts, Danny's mainly focusing on what he could do if Clockwork couldn't tell him anything useful. Looking over at the ever changing ghost, Danny decided he would have to speak first, though he doubted he would find much information, "So…you said you've been watching. When did this…this pull start happening with Sam?"

"It has been there for quite a while, but it was truly activated the time you saved her from the…seafood, as it were," Clockwork smiled slightly, then turned knowing eyes on the boy, "The real question you want me to answer is, 'What is the pull?' as you've been calling it. I can not answer that, for there is a certain promise you must make in order to find what you seek. I can not tell you to who though, as I've already said too much."

"A promise?" Danny didn't understand right then, but it probably had something to do with his future. Clockwork was always concerned about his future, "Can't you tell me anything else?"

"I can reveal two more things," the ancient ghost stood, walking calmly towards the basins where he viewed Time, "One is for you, the other is for your clone."

"For…me?" Danni sat up straighter then, completely unprepared for this powerful being to have anything to say to her past the niceties of 'hello' and the like, "What…I mean, um…"

"Danielle, you've been searching for a place to live permanently, correct?"

"Yes," the girl lowered her head, afraid that since she hadn't told Danny of her search he'd be upset. Glancing up, she found him standing beside Clockwork and smiling slightly, "Sam offered me a room…"

"But you feel like you're taking advantage of her," Clockwork turned towards her, smiling gently and trying not to laugh at the amazement that was displayed on her face, "I have an offer for you."

"For me?" the girl squeaked out again, not caring that she'd asked that question scant seconds before. Her eyes shot to Danny, but he simply nodded his head once, telling her without words that it would be alright, and that it would be her decision to make.

"I will offer you a…job of sorts," the older ghost looked up thoughtfully, changing rapidly between his forms for a few moments, "If you chose to accept it, this castle will be your home, permanently until you decide to leave. You will not be taking advantage of me because I will be training you to help me with an upcoming event that will begin to occur in another two or so months. Your nature as a halfa, and as a curious young lady, will come into play and be a great aid to me."

"I can live…here?" the girls eyes were rapidly taking it all in, then landed on the basins across the room. Catching her gaze Danny decided it was time to step in and make her realize that it would be a job, not just playtime.

"Danni, Clockwork has some sort of job for you to do," he glanced back and continued at the elder's nod, "You can't just go skipping around in time. It messes things up, trust me, I know. You're going to have to listen to him and try to _not_ get into trouble."

"I won't, I promise," ice blue eyes were rapidly moving between the two men, catching mostly on Danny's as she thought it over, "I'll do my job…but…will I still get to go to the real world?"

"Of course," Clockwork spoke softly, "I wouldn't deny you that. You still will have your place with Danny, and I'm sure that Sam Manson won't mind if you visit her every now and again."

"Yes!" the little girl leapt into the air and started an impromptu dance, reminiscent of Danny's from the many times he'd done so. Danni slowed down a little as she listened to the other halfa's laughter, but kept a grin plastered on her face, "So, what am I going to do?"

"We'll have to discuss that later, as it is of a sensitive nature that Daniel cannot be privy to."

"Huh?"

"He means," Danny rolled his eyes, a grin on his face as well, "I can't know about it so he'll tell you later. You better watch out because he really likes keeping secrets and talking in riddles. You're gonna' have to get smarter, mini-me."

"I'm smart," she pouted slightly, then began looking around again.

"You may go and explore," Clockwork pointed towards a door, "Do not leave the castle and try not to cause too much mischief…even though I already know you're going to. And please don't worry about the wine glass."

"Um…got it," and with a cocky salute and confused grin Danni was off to explore, excited over having her own place to stay and what living with and working for Clockwork would be like. The little girl had no fear; if Danny enjoyed this ghost's company and trusted him, then she would as well. With little more thought to her own future, she moved on through the rooms, taking in many different wonderfully strange objects and knocking over a wine glass breaking it into thousands of pieces. A chuckle drifted to her from down the hall and she blushed, realizing what the older ghost had meant.

Back in the main room, Clockwork was looking fondly down on one of the basins, closing his eyes for a second as Danni hurried away and to a different room. Danny stood beside him with a slightly sad grin on his lips, "You'll take good care of her?"

"Of course," the ancient ghost nodded, turning to face Danny again, "This is one of the best paths that her life can take, and I am honored that you are allowing this. You trust me a great deal Danny."

"You trust me," the boy shrugged, waving his hand over all the open portals, "I know what these could do, and still you trust me. I've seen the future, broken the laws of Time, and even changed history once. Trusting you is the least I could do, though I am sorta' jealous that she gets to help you instead of me."

"Oh, you'll have far too much on your plate at that time," Clockwork replied enigmatically, "No harm will befall her here, and I may be able to help her achieve some level of stability."

"That's…that's great," Danny nodded, pleased that his clone, that Danni as a person, would be so well cared for, far better than what he'd be able to do, "Thank you."

"Of course, but on to business Danny," they once again moved to sit down, though Danny changed his mind at the last second and remained standing. Little did he know it, but that one simple action had actually helped Clockwork determine which path he was about to take, and brought a relieved smile to his face, "Good."

"Good what?" Danny glanced around, then gave the ghost a curious look, "So…um, what about Sam. What can you tell me?"

"I can tell you that even though the pull is present, and it is effecting you to some extent, you are unaware of this and enjoy her company simply because you enjoy her company. Your possessiveness towards her is nothing more than the human impulses of jealousy and protectiveness combing with your inherent ghostly nature to loudly claim your stake on things. You do not see her as a possession or obsession, rather as something to be taken care of."

At this, the ghost sat back and looked highly pleased, as though he'd delivered some great truth to Danny. The boy himself just stood in shock, relieved that he finally knew _how_ he felt for the girl, and feeling foolish that he hadn't been able to determine that on his own. Ten minutes later, Danny had said his goodbyes and was flying at full speed back across the ghost zone towards home, hoping that nothing had happened in his absence. Two minutes after that he was back inside the lab and shutting the portal's door, wishing silently that doing so was enough to keep the ghosts away, but knowing that they managed to escape despite the precaution.

Slipping back upstairs he first went to find his sister, knowing that she'd be demanding to know where their little house guest had gotten off to. It wasn't until he was halfway up the stairs that it really hit him, 'Danni has a home now. She really has a home.'

A smile spread across his face as a huge weight lifted from his chest, leaving him relieved over something he hadn't truly realized he'd been worrying over. Yes, he had often thought of where she might be and if she was okay, had often wondered if he should try to find her someplace to live, but he'd never had the resources and he couldn't exactly ask his parents…the explanations would be interesting to say that least.

It was one less thing to worry about, leaving Danny with a lighter heart and a spring in his step as he finished his ascent and headed to find Jazz. She would be pleased as well, and it gave him time to think over what his next move would be in doing his research on Sam's problem.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Okay, this is it,' Danny stood at the foot of the stairs down in the lab. He'd already talked to Jazz the night before, her reaction one of delight to the news of Danni's new found home and caretakers, and their conversation had turned towards what he'd been able to tell Danny. He recited the most important information, in his eyes, first, telling Jazz that he truly was attracted to Sam.

Jazz had simply bopped the back of his head, stating she was well aware of that fact and urged him to reveal what else Clockwork had told him. The promise worried her greatly, and the fact that he'd somehow helped initiate the pull confused them both to no end.

It was Jazz's suggestion after their brief conversation that had him down in the lab early in the morning, preparing to face Plasmius. Getting him to talk, he feared, would be like pulling teeth, but it was one of the only choices he had left.

Taking a deep breath, the halfa made his way forward, keeping half his attention on the door lest his parents unexpectedly show up.

"Plasmius," Danny nodded to the ghost who was waiting at the front of his cage for him, "I need some information."

"No doubt about the problem that your friend is having," the ghost looked disinterested, but the fact that he already knew what Danny was after spoke volumes, "I've heard a great deal from the other ghosts that pass through here. Pity none of them would ever release me."

"Yeah, a real shame," Danny mockingly stated, pressing on with the odd interrogation, "What do you know?"

"Oh, a bit," the ghost replied off handedly, "There will be a price though."

"What sort?" the hafla was cautious, but ultimately remembered what Clockwork had said, "A promise?"

"If you wish to look at it that way," the creature shrugged, red eyes glowing with excitement, "Call Masters, have him come here, and let him talk to me alone. Then I will tell you what I think you should know."

"Talk to Masters?" the halfa's jaw nearly hit the floor, "No way in hell, name a different price."

"You prefer that I ask to be let out?" the ghost purred, folding his arms and grinning wickedly, "Don't you wish to save your dear Samantha, Little Badger?"

"If, and I mean _if_, I got a hold of him," Danny weighed his options, not able to think of anything else at the moment, "and he came here and talked to you, you realize that the second you get out of that cage the house will fry you and I'll know that someone tampered with the systems?"

"Dear boy," his grin widened, "I am not looking to escape, rather to assess where I stand."

"I'll think about it," the halfa turned and walked away, not bothering to watch the ghost as he spoke, "You'll know my answer when Masters does or doesn't show up."

Slamming the door behind him, Danny sank to sit in one of the kitchen chairs, rubbing his forehead as he tried to decide what to do. There was a promise involved, but Plasmius had never asked for one, Danny had assumed and spoken too soon. That could mean he was doing the right thing, or it could mean that he was on the wrong track. Would Plasmius even keep his promise?

There was no sure way to know what he was supposed to do and it always drove him crazy. He had no one else he could go ask, no way to do any research as this had never happened before, and none of the ghosts knew why they were feeling the pull or even what it was.

His eyes strayed to the phone.

If he called, would Vlad even come down? All he had to do was tell him that his ghost half had been asking for him, and he was sure he'd come running, but Vlad was wickedly intelligent, and would know that something was at stake. Danny wouldn't do his ghost half a favor otherwise.

He was standing at the phone before he even realized it, picked up the receiver before he could back away, and dialed the number before he could think better.

"Hello, you've reached the residence of Vladimir Masters, may I ask who's calling please?"

"Danny. Danny Fenton."

"One moment and I'll patch you through directly. Thank you for your patience Mr. Fenton."

"Yeah…no problem."

By the end of the conversation with Vlad, Danny felt worn, and looking back on the first conversation with Plasmius he felt as though he'd made a deal with the devil himself. Vlad had not asked any questions though, and that put Danny on edge. Vlad was not the type to not ask questions.

'I don't understand what's going on at all,' the boy lamented as he hung up the phone, leaning his head against the wall, 'I hate this…but I can't think of anything else.'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

A half hour later found him still standing with his head to the wall and a horrible headache forming.

Two hours later found him upstairs, wishing he could take it back and not caring about the consequences of doing so out loud.

Three hours later found him in Jazz's room, explaining the plan to her and working out what they would do. Back up plan after back up plan was created between the two and Tucker was on hold. He decided that he'd call Sam and see if she wanted to walk to the mall with him, where Danny knew Valerie would be hanging out. That ensured that at least two experienced ghost hunters would be around her in case something happened and Plasmius got out.

Four hours later found Jazz convincing his parents to get out of the house for the afternoon, accompanying them because she wanted out too. It was a convenient way to keep them far away while the impending visit happened, and an early warning system through Jazz if they decided to come home early. Danny was pacing the living room as she left, waving a cheerful goodbye but feeling terribly sick to his stomach. His cell phone was in his pocket, with his hand inside it as well, holding onto it and hoping that no one would have to call.

Four and a half hours later he answered the doorbell and found a very business like Vlad standing on his porch, three staff with him to ensure that Danny would not be able to sneak away. A tense nod passed between the two before Vlad smoothly slipped inside and headed for the lab, ignoring Danny's protests and sealing him from the lab by both locking the door and setting up a tiny ghost shield at it's base.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Face to face with myself,' Vlad snorted, taking the time to fix his jacket and hair while his doppelganger in ghost form watched him with calculating eyes, 'My I did look a bit vampiric didn't I?"

"You summoned me why?" Vlad finally stilled and started the conversation immediately, having decided that this creature was in no way superior to himself without having been a part of him, "Did you think I would set you free?"

"Even if you would, I wouldn't have it," the creature answered with a wide smile, "I would be blasted by the newly installed ghost systems. And besides that, I have Maddie in front of me everyday. Why would I want to leave just yet?"

"And all you wish is Maddie?" a tiny feeling of disgust crept into Vlad, realization that this had been a part of him for years causing the emotion, "What of more…the world and all that can be obtained through rule and power?"

"The world means nothing," Plasmius shrugged, looking down his nose at the man, "Maddie has been my focus for as long as I could remember, the mere trifles of ruling being nothing more than a distraction."

"It was the obsession over that woman that was the distraction," Vlad answered back coldly, "There is too much to be gained to spend time wasting away for a woman that can not be had."

"So, it is true then," a growling sneer came from the caged ghost, "We are truly two different beings now. You have grown soft in your false, new freedom, and I have grown more passionate in my imprisonment."

"Two different beings, yes, but I believe you have our positions reversed, as my freedom is not false and your passions for reality is waning," Vlad replied, keeping his cool where the ghost lost his temper, 'And of all the things I am and was, this is the darkness that was inside of me. Darkness that still exists in me, true, but darkness that no longer holds power over me. How quaint.'

"I have nothing else to say," Plasmius dismissed Masters, "Obviously it was a waste of time ever thinking that we could benefit one another."

"Obviously," the man replied with sarcasm, raising a delicate eyebrow as he turned to walk away, "Ta."

A growl followed him up the stairs and put a smirk on his lips.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Stupid fruit loop!" Danny kicked the door, then turned to find a young woman standing before him, a cup of water in her hand, "What's that?"

"It's water, and my name is Suzie," the girl pushed the water into his hands, "I don't know what's going on, but that's the truth of the matter half of the time when Mr. Masters in dealing with his more…secretive projects. We were told to keep you in our sight at all times, bathroom breaks being no exception so I suggest you make yourself comfortable."

"Listen, I'm sure that Vlad's a great boss," Danny set the water down, then sat himself at the kitchen table, eyes glued to the door, "but you don't know him the way I know him."

"He's a ruthless, conniving, secretive, jerk," the girl shrugged her shoulders, "but that's only when he's trying his hardest to get something. Right now, I think he's interested in whatever this Plasmius guy has to say about ghosts, but he didn't seem like he liked him or something. Something about completely different interests, and Mr. Masters never peruses something he isn't interested in."

"Oh, um…," Danny was slightly slack jawed at this announcement from the girl. In the time it took him to work himself up, she's completely calmed him down with her curt assessment of Vlad's personality. Everything she said was true, and as soon as he'd recovered from his shock, the door swung open again, revealing Vlad looking none the worse for the ware and wearing a smug face, the smirk telling a great deal.

"Whatever the reason he had you call me," Vlad spoke quietly while dismissing Suzie with a wave of his hand, "Whatever he promised you, don't expect to get it, especially not today. I will return home now, and please, feel free to call me again sometime. This spontaneous travel is quite entertaining."

"What did he say? Did he ask you anything?" Danny followed him to the door, desperate to know what had occurred down in the lab, "Vlad, tell me. What did he want?"

"My dear boy," Vlad tucked a singular strand of hair that was out of place on his head back into place, nodding to his staff to continue out the door and walking behind them, "What he wanted was inconsequential to the fact that we no longer see eye to eye."

Four hours and fifty minutes after making the phone call Vlad was gone from his life again, and Danny was left no closer to an answer than he was before and feeling ten years older from the stress he'd put himself through. Danny listened to Vlad's advice for one of the first times, knowing well that the ghost downstairs would be far too riled and uncooperative to talk about anything at that moment.

Things were still not looking good and Danny was totally out of ideas.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"So what's the first thing I get to learn Clockwork?" Danni was already well adjusted to the castle after having spent only one night there. She was helpful, bright, energetic, and very willing to learn. All of this pleased the ghost of Time greatly, and he was willingly answering nearly all of her questions, though most of the time she either didn't fully understand the answer or hadn't stayed still long enough to even hear it.

"First, you will learn patience," Clockwork brought up a picture of one of the near futures, "We have a while to wait before our job will come."

"So…patience huh?"

"Yes."

"How long is that gonna' take, 'cause I sorta' want to explore some more…"

Chuckling, the ancient ghost could only shake his head. Raising a child was going to be far more interesting than he thought. That was fine though…he had all the time in the world.


	12. Distance

**_The Art of Science_**  
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Heh…TxDS…in the world of science that means Time times Distance equals Speed…but in the fan fiction world it seems to mean that Tucker and Danny are together and either equal a Sam or create a very confused smiley face…heh…I'm so weird sometimes… 

Hm, not edited and it's so short again! Wah. Anywho, on with the story. And don't forget to visit the Danny Phantom Fanfic Awards, read all those wonderful stories, nominate stories you like under the different categories, then return to cast your vote!

Ah! Squee, one of my one shots _The Deal_ got nominated on DPA also! Thank you so very much to whoever nominated it! Thank you all!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Chapter Twelve: Distance

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Sam, dearest," the curtains were thrown wide open and the horrid light cascaded down upon her form, eyes shut tightly as she tried to outlast her mother in the morning battle of light versus dark, neither being the bad guy in this case really, "Rise and shine, it's a beautiful summer day. You should be out doing something…getting some color in your skin…you know you're awfully pale."

"I know," the reply came from within a pile of pillows, and Sam continued to burrow her way down to escape her mother, "I like being that way. It's different."

"Samantha, different is not always better, whatever else you've been lead to believe in your short life," Sam felt the bed sink beside her prone figure as her mother continued to babble on about something concerning the niceties of being nicely tan, "Don't you want that?"

"No Mom, I want to go back to sleep," she finally emerged from her pillows and blankets, knowing her mother wasn't going to give up this morning without a fight and Sam was just too tired. Yesterday had been horrible, and unfortunately it hadn't had a thing to do with going out with Tucker to the mall. In fact, it seemed to have a lot to do with the fact that they were attacked both going to and coming from that particular place, "I'm getting up, so you win today."

"Good," and her mother stood, handing her a pretty blue blouse with buttons running down the front, "Now go and try this on. There are several other outfits waiting in your bathroom, and I'll be sitting right here to view them and help you choose which look best on you, as you are obviously wanting in the style and taste departments of you life."

"I think my style and taste are just fine," but Sam grabbed the shirt and marched to her bathroom, ignoring her mother's suggestion that muttering isn't ladylike, 'How the heck can I get out of this? If she's sitting right there I can't just sneak out. Maybe…I have a prior engagement? Yeah, that should do the trick. A couple of outfits to appease her, then I'm out of here for a while before tonight.'

A couple of outfits turned into a dozen before Sam finally managed to slip away, telling her mother that she intended to pay the Fenton's a friendly visit, though honestly she wasn't sure if she would make it to see them, wondering just what her reaction to Danny would be this time around. Her mother scowled, a very ladylike scowl of course, but let her leave, seeing that she had been more cooperative than usual and wondering just what the Fentons' son might have to do with it all.

She wasn't exactly clued in on her daughter's life, but she didn't have to be _that_ observant to know that something special was developing between the two adolescents.

"I should be home for lunch," Sam sang out, mostly to her Grandmother as she slipped out the door, enjoying the warm afternoon sun on her face and shoulders, pleased with the fact that she'd decided to wear a tank top that day, 'I may not like to tan, but sometimes the sun is just…'

Sam looked around before completing her thoughts, as though afraid she would be heard in her own mind, '…delicious.'

Laughter bubbled out of the girl, and she took a deep breath, feeling like nothing could go wrong that day. No, she didn't have a Fenton Thermos on her, but she did have a rather handy shade of green lipstick. The smells and sights and sounds of summer gave Sam a sort of confidence that she had been missing the past few weeks, something that had slowly drained from her the more she'd been targeted, attacked, and rescued. She hated playing the damsel in distress, and she'd be damned if she stood there watching while her friends did all the work.

No more.

Nodding to herself, Sam stopped at an intersection; left would take her to town, right to Danny's. The only problem was she didn't want another episode like she had last night in the park. The look of hurt flashing across Danny's face as she refused his hand, all while unintelligibly gibbering from her nervousness, was fresh in her mind and probably would always be there as a reminder. Danny, for all his bravado and heroics, was a very fragile person.

'Which way do I go?'

Sam thought over this while she stood still, her mind drifting back to last night yet again. What had come over her was inexplicable in her mind, but a detachment from the situation now was allowing her a different view on what she had been feeling. She hadn't been afraid of Danny exactly, but she still couldn't put her finger on just what happened.

'Which way?' Sam pondered silently for a moment more, looking first left, then right, 'I think I know now.'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Dude, wake up and let's go," Tucker threw an empty water bottle towards Danny, who nailed it with an open palm spike, "Nice…"

"Whatever, I'm perfectly awake now, so let's go," Danny stood and shook out his pant leg over the shoe he had been slowly tying, ready for a day out with his friend, "Got the thermos?"

"Yeah," Tucker tossed it up in the air before deftly catching it again, "We'll have to drop it by Sam's house sometime. She was probably pretty glad you showed up, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Danny paused with his hand on the doorknob, "Have you found anything out yet?"

"Nope, nothing," Tucker shook his head, pushed past the stalling boy, and opened the door to the sunshine, "You said you talked to Plasmius right?"

"I tried to," Danny slowly followed the other boy through the door and out to the sidewalk, heading towards town, "After Vlad left…he wouldn't talk. I tried later, but he still wouldn't talk, and then I tried one last time this morning right after I called you."

"Let me guess," Tucker took a page from Sam's book and wryly grinned at his friend while answering, "Wouldn't talk?"

"You got it in one," Danny kicked at a rock, letting out a sigh that turned into mist, "Oh, man…why?"

"Because you are who you are," Tucker pushed the thermos towards the boy, "And we got a ghost to catch before it gets to Sam, huh?"

"Something like that," Danny looked over his left shoulder where the ghost was approaching from. Meeting him halfway would be best and keep him the furthest distance from Sam's house, which was one block down and three blocks over, "Let's go techno-whiz, sidekick boy."

"Hey I resent that," Tucker fussed as Danny pulled him up into the air and along with him.

"No," Danny chuckled, "You represent that."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'That's weird,' Sam sneezed, then shook her head as an old superstition crossed her mind, 'Someone must have been talking about me.'

The door in front of her opened, revealing a slightly sleepy looking Jasmine Fenton, clutching a couch pillow to her chest and rubbing at her tired eyes. Sam gave her a rather sweeping glance, taking in the fact that she was still in a pair of pajamas and looked as though she'd just pulled her hair up into a pony tail rather than brushing it. It all screamed college kid home on summer vacation.

"Morning Sam," Jazz held the door open and ushered her into the living room, where she'd already set herself up with food, coco, and a laptop computer opened to a website on specific personality types and their likelihood to survive through several different situations. Most of them were dealing with people with a high risk profile, "What are you doing up so early?"

"My mother decided that my wardrobe was no where near satisfactory, and decided to help me gain a personal sense of style, which I apparently lack," Sam set herself next to the older girl, sinking into the couch comfortably, "I thought that since I was up I might as well swing by…"

"Well, you might just want to swing towards the mall," Jazz smiled, "The parents aren't home and Danny headed out about thirty minutes ago with Tucker. I'm surprised you didn't see them on the way to the mall. You should have been at the same crossroads…"

"Yeah," Sam shrugged, "That is strange."

"Maybe there was a ghost."

"There's been a lot of those around here because of me lately," Sam sighed deeply, shifting on the couch as her thoughts centered on Danny yet again, "Plus a couple of halfas."

"Only one," Jazz smiled, "Danny was already here."

"Yeah," Sam sunk a little lower, "Already here. He was probably one of the first ones to be affected by it."

"You don't really think that do you?" the older girl's frown was apparent in the lines creasing her forehead, "You know that Danny likes you for who you are, Sam, don't ever doubt that."

"I know that everyone's thinking that, but when you look at the facts, whatever is affecting these other ghosts is probably having something to do with Danny," Sam pulled her knees up to her chest, forgetting for a second the confidence she'd felt that morning, "I mean, maybe not all the way, but at least a little, right?"

"I doubt it," Jazz shrugged, "but I guess the best way would be to talk to him about it."

"We tried, I think," the girl rolled her eyes, "Every time there's a ghost…or person, who interrupts us."

"Story of Danny's life, Sam. You're going to have to get used to it though, because little brother plans on keeping you around for a while as far as I can tell."

"That's nice," Sam blushed deeply, then frowned as she thought of the problem that had been developing the past few weeks around Danny's ghost side, "Jazz…I know you're still studying and I know you're on vacation, but…I need to…talk."

"Doesn't everybody?" Jazz shot a smile to Sam, then sat up a bit straighter, "I'm all ears, and I won't judge."

"I know," she nodded, "Danny told me you were a good listener when he was having a hard time figuring himself out…and I'm sort of having that same problem right now."

"It sounds like it," Jazz nodded, "You know, it's normal to have some doubt in a relationship over whether your partner is truly attracted to you or not."

"As helpful as that is to hear," Sam sighed, "I have a different problem to top off all my other problems."

"It can't possibly be as bad as pulling every ghost in Amity Park to you."

"I'm scared of Danny when he's Phantom."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"So, sucks that we couldn't get into the arcade," Tucker shoved his hands into his pockets while waiting in line with Danny. The Nasty Burger was particularly busy that morning for some reason, "At least we'll get some food…eventually."

"Yeah, eventually," a small smile was gracing Danny's lips. The last few days hadn't been that great, but today had been fine thus far. The ghost had been a pushover, the mall had been alright with Tucker there with him to make fun of the people as they passed by, and the game shop had several new games which he was considering for his upcoming birthday. The only two things currently bothering him was the lack of arcade time and lack of Sam, 'I want to make things right, but I can't think of anything…'

He felt like the answer was staring him in the face. Who was there? Where could he look to for answers? There were far too many questions in his life right now, and the last thing he counted on was another question making his day a little brighter.

"Tucker?"

Both boys turned to find Star in line behind them with Kwan and a few other friends, the girl looking very pleased and Kwan not too sure about what was going on.

"Oh, uh. Hey, Star," Tucker grinned nervously, shifting slightly.

'Tucker cannot be nervous,' Danny watched in amazement, nodding his head towards Star when she said hello to him as well, 'He's never nervous, especially not around a girl!'

"How're things going this week?" Star started the conversation, a tiny glance over her shoulder belying her calm exterior when it came to what her peers thought, though she was certainly making progress because she was talking to Tucker.

"Good, sorta'," Tucker laughed, then nodded towards Danny, "We were going to play the day away in the arcade, but it was closed for some reason."

"That's not cool for you I guess," Star's nose wrinkled cutely as she smiled, and Danny swore that Tucker's grin grew, "but at least the Nasty Burger is open right?"

"Yeah, I-"

"Hey Star, we're going to get a booth first and wait until the line shortens," a girl started pulling her away by the hand, "C'mon, we still gotta' finish talking about Debbie and her night out!"

"Guess I gotta' run," Star smiled again, then turned to go, "Later Tucker. Bye Danny."

"Bye," both boys answered, Danny giving a slight wave as Star left. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it, but Tucker seemed…, 'Dude, no way. He didn't flirt, he didn't crack a line, and he's nervous…'

"Do I detect a crush?" Danny elbowed his best friend, grinning like a fool, "Way to go man, when the heck did this happen?"

"Nah, not a crush, just…," Tucker grimaced, thinking over how nervous he got when trying to just be himself, "I fixed her phone the other day, she was happy, and we got a drink at the mall. She's pretty nice when you get her away from the rest of her group."

"Uh huh," Danny was unconvinced, but just smiled at his friend, "So, why so nervous?"

"Oh man, you've got no idea what it's like to all of a sudden stop pretending to be one thing for people and have to be…yourself," Tucker stopped talking at the raised eyebrow and slightly smug smile on Danny's face, "Okay, okay, so maybe you do, but it's…it's…"

"Nerve-wracking? Embarrassing? Sweating bullets, trying to save the town, and pass an English test the next day worthy?" Danny laughed, then stepped up to place his order for a drink to go, "I think I understand."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"You're scared of Danny…," Jazz was trying to process this through her mind, "…but only when he's Phantom."

"Yeah," Sam sat forward on the couch once again, not sure that she wanted to have this conversation, but desperately needing someone else's opinions on the matter, 'And who better than the resident psychologist-to-be?'

"So only in his ghost form, or is it all the time, or when he's using his ghost powers or what?"

"When he's a ghost, or using his powers mostly. It started a few weeks ago, when all the ghosts started to come more and more often. At first, it just made me a little nervous, then I started to get sort of…skittish around him when he would be Phantom or use his powers. The other day in the lab…I couldn't help it, I just had to get out of there."

"What happened in the lab?" Jazz led her on, hoping to gain a slightly more clear picture of the situation that Sam had found herself in.

"When you and Tucker were busy, after Danny sent Danni up to his room," Sam looked towards the kitchen with a frown, remembering the moment clearly, "He was messing with his ice powers, and the first time…I couldn't take the crystal he wanted to hand to me, so he put it in my hand. I was fine after that, for a while, until he started playing, making more. Then he made one with energy inside of it, and I was afraid again. He levitated them, and I lost it."

"Lost it how?"

"I had to get out of there," the girl shook her head, feeling guilty, "All I could think was 'ghost' when I looked at him, and then after that it's what I kept feeling. I don't think that Danny is a different person when he's Phantom, but it bothers me somehow."

"You know," Jazz started slowly, looking up for a way to explain what she was slowly processing, "I don't think you're afraid of Danny."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she caught Sam's gaze, holding her attention, "You said that you were fine with Danny when he was just sitting next to you right, before he started making more crystals and messing around?"

"Yes," Sam nodded, thinking how odd that was, 'If I'm afraid of him, then wouldn't I be afraid all the time? I think I see what Jazz is getting at…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Man, today is sorta' weird, ya' know?" Tucker took another sip of his soda, thinking back over their slow morning, "We were gonna' play the day away, and now it's only been what? An hour since we left your house or something?"

"Yeah," Danny shook his head, kicking a small piece of concrete ahead of him and repeating the motion whenever he'd happen upon another, "And now we're heading right back to it. I guess it's just one of those days."

"Yeah well, I couldn't think of anything else to do and neither could you," Tucker reached up to rearrange his hat, then his glasses, before taking another loud sip through the straw, "At least the house won't try to kill us, right? That's a plus."

"Definitely," Danny laughed, kicking another rock and feeling a little better. Tucker was his best friend for a reason, 'He always manages to get me out of my funks. Thank God he's been here for me through all these stupid problems…'

"Dude," Tucker wiggled his eyebrows as he playfully walked ahead of Danny a bit, "If we get back quick enough, Jazz'll still be in her PJ's and we can terrorize her about the pink girly-ness of them!"

"She'll kill you."

"You know it'll be an honorable death."

"Yeah…but still not worth it."

"You're taking the fun out of my fundamentals here, Danny," Tucker laughed as they walked on, Danny finally taking a sip from his drink, "If I can't tease you and I can't tease Jazz, who the heck am I going to tease?"

"You could always find a mirror…"

"Dude, low blow…low blow."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"You know, Sam," Jazz spoke up after letting Sam have some time to think it over, processing what she'd been getting at all along, "I think you're problem is you haven't gotten to spend much time with Danny, in either of his forms, lately. With all the ghosts we've been having around here, it's possible that you may be developing a phobia of ghosts."

"But Danny isn't a ghost, and I _know _that," Sam shook her head, understanding Jazz's point, but unsure of what she could do to help herself, "If it's my subconscious that's giving me problems, how am I supposed to fight that? People aren't afraid of the dark or heights and then suddenly are cured."

"No, but you're not to the point that you're terrified beyond all reason," the older girl pointed out with a quirked eyebrow, "Most people with phobias of something are debilitated by their fear. You are still perfectly functional according to the stories that Danny's told me."

"It's getting worse though," Sam shifted again, more comfortable with facing Jazz now as she spoke, "I…I shot the Fenton Lipstick the other day and it knocked me on my butt. Danny offered me his hand, and normally I would have taken it, ghost or not, but that time…I couldn't. I don't really understand why I was so freaked out right then, but…"

"Danny said that ghost had been less than three feet from you when you shot it," Jazz cut in at her slight pause, stopping Sam from rambling on, "You were probably still shaken up from being so close to one ghost that was attacking you, then all of a sudden you had another in that same range of space. Your mind was probably having a hard time adjusting."

"But it was just Danny!" Sam was up off the couch and pacing a bit as she thought it out, out loud for the sake of Jazz, "It shouldn't matter that Danny was standing in front of me as Phantom. I was fine with Phantom before I knew he was Danny, even if I was a little more cautious around him. I shouldn't have a hard time adjusting to anything Jazz."

"That's not necessarily true, you know," the other girl sighed and reached for her morning coco, which was definitely cool enough at that point to drink, "I know it's not exactly the same situation, but the most often used reference is to a person, mostly a woman, who has been abused or sexually assaulted, molested, or raped. They may know, without a doubt in their heart, that a father or husband or best friend who is a male would never hurt them in the same way their attacker did, but they have an instinctual reaction to literally _any _male's touch or presence. That's a very broad generalization, and my professors would shoot me for such a horrible example, but it's one that most people are familiar with."

"So you're saying that I'm going to react badly to Danny no matter what now when he's in his ghost form, just because all these other stupid ghosts are attacking me?" Sam stopped her pacing and looked helplessly at Jazz for answers which she feared the girl didn't have. Taking sympathy on Sam, Jazz patted the couch beside her, soothing Sam as she sat down.

"Most people are able to recover from their fears Sam. It usually takes anywhere from seven to a hundred positive experiences for every negative one a person faces which deals with their specific fear," Jazz was being as earnest as possible, hoping that she could help her little brother's girl through her problem, "In the case of something as extreme as I described a second ago, it can take a lot longer, but most people are able to work through it. Knowing Danny, he'll do anything to help you."

"I know," Sam shook her head, sinking down into the couch again, "That's the problem. I hurt him the other day when I didn't take his hand. It was like I slapped him across the face. I don't want him to have to go through that every time I see him as Phantom, and don't tell me it isn't going to end up like that. At the rate I'm going, I'll be terrified of him by next week."

"So spend more time with him as Phantom," Jazz suggested, thinking of a solution as quickly as she could, satisfied with what she was slowly working out in her mind, "If you spend more time with Danny, more so while he's Phantom, then you should start to become more comfortable around him."

The girl thought on this for a while, agreeing with Jazz on that point and praying that her suggestion would work out should she choose to implement it. Unfortunately, there were far too many variables for Sam to try and predict what might happen.

"Sam," Jazz called the girl to catch her attention after a few moments of silence had passed, "Sam, you're an amazing girl. You're only the second person to figure out Danny's secret, which means you're smart, and you've got an iron will, or so I've heard."

This had Sam grinning a small bit, knowing exactly how stubborn she could be and enjoying how Jazz had worded this compliment so kindly.

"Mind over matter, Sam," Jazz encouraged, smiling as she watched Sam light up a bit, "but I bet you already knew that, huh?"

"Something like that," Sam smiled, then turned and hugged Jazz, surprising the girl to no end as Sam was a particularly non-touchy, feely person, "Thank you."

"Anytime," Jazz laughed and walked with Sam to the door, "Going so soon?"

"Yeah, I think I might head home," Sam smiled with a small blush, her hand on the doorknob, talking as she opened it, "There's a lot I need to think about…and some stuff I need to do."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Danny and Tucker were just getting to his house, when the door opened to reveal a smiling Sam saying her goodbyes to Jazz, who was, as Tucker predicted, still in her pajamas. Danny paused, halfway up the steps to watch her, the smile on her face pulling at his heart a bit as he wondered whether he should just disappear and avoid any and all problems his presence might cause.

Fortunately, Sam turned more quickly than he had anticipated and caught sight of him, a surprised look quickly melting into a blushing, shy smile. Danny melted at the look sent his way and returned in kind.

Tucker pretended to gag, effectively ruining the moment, "If you two are gonna' keep up the mush, I'm going to go inside, where it's hopefully mush-free and get some food. The soda just isn't doing it for me."

"Tucker," Jazz chastised the boy, who turned with a pleading grin for mercy, "Leave them alone or I'll make you watch soap operas with me for the rest of the afternoon."

"Threat noted," Tucker took his hat off to ring in his hands, "I'll be good…just let me eat! I'm starving!"

"Overdramatic, much?" Sam grinned towards Tucker's retreating form.

"Just a little," Jazz winked, then closed the door, giving Danny and Sam some privacy, though the entire outside world was privy to their conversation. Summer was always a busy time for the street the Fentons lived on, and the cars passed every few moments while Danny stood partially on his own front steps looking up at Sam and grinning like mad that she was still there, 'Maybe we should have a talk now…'

"So, I'm sorry about yesterday," Danny got out as he inched his way up the steps towards the girl, "I didn't know…um, I still really don't but…"

Ring. That one sound broke the moment for both teens, and they groaned collectively at yet another interruption to their impending thoughts. Danny held his breath while Sam answered her phone, apparently arguing with her mother on the other end of the line.

"Yes, Mom," Sam rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently, "Yes, I'm coming home right now. I know I said I'd be home for lunch…no! No, Mom! Why would I do that? I dunno'…no, no just…Mom! I'm coming right now, just give me time to get there okay? Right, bye."

"What was that about?" Danny nervously stepped closer, breathing a sigh of relief when Sam didn't react as she had in the park, 'Obviously she has to get home for lunch, but it never hurts to ask right?'

"Just my Mom being my Mom, which is a good thing I guess," Sam shrugged, "I have to go home to eat…and then I have to go with my parents tonight to a benefit. It's one of the few things I can stand doing with them because it's for a good cause, you know?"

"Yeah," Danny smiled, then grimaced, "Where's it going to be at?"

"I don't really know, one of the convention centers downtown I guess," Sam shrugged, then looked towards the door and windows to make sure no one was eavesdropping, "I was going to ask you to go tonight, but my mother so kindly reminded me that it was by invitation only and I couldn't just have people tag along…"

"Oh, heh," Danny blushed, then shook it off with a wave of his hand, "It's cool, and besides, it's probably better if I'm on patrol duty anyways, especially since you're going to be somewhere with lots of people, huh?"

"Yeah," Sam ducked her head, heaving a sigh at how bad luck was seemingly following her around lately, "I really have to go now though."

"That's cool," Danny scooted forward another inch, "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Alright," Sam grinned, then reached up and patted his cheek, "Maybe you'll get a kiss then, if you help me escape tonight."

"That better be a promise," Danny sent Sam on her way with a gentle nudge, laughing as she stuck her tongue out at him, "Or else you're going to find yourself kidnapped and held for ransom tonight. Ransom being one kiss. Right? Hey! Are you ignoring me?"

"Let's just say," Sam kept walking, enjoying this day more than any other of that summer so far, "That that had better be a promise."

Sam and Danny both couldn't keep the grin off their face for the rest of the day, and neither breathed a word about just why that was. Jazz and Tucker though…they mostly knew, but kept it to themselves. Things were finally starting to work out, and far be it from them to mess this up for Sam and Danny.


	13. Combustion

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Oh noes! It's a double cliffy: one is a cliff hanger for this story (AOS) and the other is perhaps a bit of a cliffy for AOW, as well as AOD…ooooo, a two for one! This one is emotional and yummy, we're getting some truth out now, and I hope you guys do enjoy it. I rather like this chapter myself.

Not edited so keep an eye out for typos!

PS-Let's see…chapters 12 through 17 (which is the end) all take place in rapid succession over the course of one night and one morning. Do enjoy…

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Thirteen: Combustion**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Well, they really tried to make this place look realistic,' Sam noted in her mind as she pushed past a rather large swath of ferns, 'Kudos to them for that, but I think it would be better to save the environment by leaving these poor things in pots instead of sitting them in dirt on the ground…they'll go into shock.'

"Samantha," her father's voice was somewhere to her left, as the man was still trying to find his way around a rather nasty looking cactus display, "Do slow down, dear, we're not late yet and our table should be fairly close now."

"Alright, Dad," Sam met her father halfway, watching with some small amount of glee as her mother fought her way past the same ferns she'd had to negotiate through, "Glad to see you finally made it, Mom."

"Do behave tonight, won't you?" the disapproving tone was noticeably sharp and Sam had to force herself to keep smiling, lest she wince in front of her parents and lose face, "Jeremy, what is our table number again?"

"Thirteen," her father began looking around, then walked towards a table near the front, "Here we are."

'Perfect,' Sam was nearly purring her delight at the number, 'Thank you to whoever was watching out for me…it's my lucky number.'

The night progressed slowly from there, though Sam enjoyed a number of things about the evening. She loved being surrounded by so many plants, feeling preternaturally at home among them for a reason she couldn't explain since the beginning of her sophomore year. She loved the way they had lights playing across the ceiling as though they were stars. But mostly, Sam loved the fact that she felt relaxed.

Danny was on patrol, so no ghosts were bothering her in this enchanted place; her parents were more concerned with their own looks and making relations between themselves and other wealthy couples, thus leaving her alone; and most importantly it smelled of nature. Of dirt. Of earth.

Sam drank it in.

Two hours passed, in which Sam enjoyed her surroundings, chatted with very few people, and listened to the soft, lulling music that was drifting through the plants, adding to the ambiance. Then the cold hit her, the feeling of a gloved finger running down one arm as another gloved hand lightly lay itself over her mouth, preventing her from screaming bloody murder.

A quiet, "Boo," was whispered sweetly into her ear and in that one moment Sam felt both horror at the thought of being held by a ghost and elation that the ghost was probably Danny. It was the most unusual, and one of the most sensually terrifying, moments she had ever experienced in her entire life, "You look really good tonight."

Her reaction, being limited to physical movement, turned into a rather obvious squirm, which caused the gloved hands to grasp her more firmly as Danny's mouth whispered into her hair, "It's just me, I'm sorry I startled you."

It was definitely not helping Sam's problem with ghosts and being afraid of them at the moment. So, like any tough girl in a tight situation like she found herself in, she bit his hand. Hard.

"Shi-," Danny cut himself off as he backed away shaking his hand, and though he was invisible, several people looked his way at the exclamation, 'Should have known better, she's been antsy around me when I'm ghost…stupid, stupid, stupid…'

"Danny?" Sam whispered to the air around her as she smiled at people and shrugged her shoulders in response to their questioning looks, then traded that sweet smile for a rather paranoid glance around her table and the air above it, "Where are you?"

"Right to your left," he floated down, close enough to talk, but far enough to not ruffle her feathers again, "Sorry…"

"It's…listen, just meet me outside alright?" Sam stood, then walked towards her mother, Danny tagging along beside her. Sam noticed the cold spot and paused, acting as though she was searching her purse for something, "I need to ask you something, and I really want to be able to _see _you."

"Okay, I'll follow you out," he nodded, though Sam couldn't see, then floated higher, tailing her from above, 'What's she up to?'

"Hey Mom," she tapped her mother's shoulder, "I'm going to the bathroom. I think I might head home a little early tonight too…I'm uh…I think I started…I mean, I'm under the weather?"

"Oh dear," her mother turned with a hand over her mouth, looking her daughter up and down as Danny tried to keep from laughing above them and giving himself away, "Of course dear, should I call Charles with the car?"

"Oh, I already took care of that," Sam offhandedly looked upwards, to where she thought Danny might be floating, "I'll see you later."

"Be careful dear," her mother lay a hand on her shoulder, a rare display of motherly affection coming from the woman and making Sam slightly uncomfortable, "I hope you feel better."

Several of the women around them were nodding their sympathies and Sam left the room with blushing cheeks, muttering under her breath to the air around her, "Tell anyone of this tactic and I shall skin you."

"Deal," the air answered back with a laugh, "My lips are sealed."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"So," Danny landed beside Sam once she had pulled herself into an alleyway, reaching into the larger than average bag she had with her, "You said outside, but I didn't think that meant an alley. What are you up to Sam?"

"Just…make sure nobody comes by," Sam looked down at her clothes, while Danny turned to peek out of the alley as she had asked, "It's a nice dress and all, but if I'm going to go on patrol with you I'm going to need regular clothes, and definitely better foot ware."

"What?" Danny spun around, then turned back with pink cheeks. Sam apparently was already changing, "Um…what?"

"I'm coming with you tonight," Sam answered a few moments later, after the rustle of her dress hitting the floor stilled, "I mean…if that's okay. I just really wanted to spend some time with you and hopefully get to talk without the interruptions."

"Uh," the boy's hand rubbed the back of his neck before moving up through bright, white hair, "I guess that would be okay…I mean, it's better than leaving you as a sitting duck at that…function or whatever it was. I've sorta' been wanting to talk with you too…in a good way, so don't get any ideas!"

"Danny," her hand snuck forward to tap his shoulder, before she drew it back quickly. The biting chill of his body had somehow startled her, even though she knew he would be cold, "It's…it's okay. We're okay, alright?"

"We are?" Danny let out a relieved sigh, then reached for Sam's pack, taking it so she could finish changing her shoes, "That's…thank God."

Sam chuckled a little while removing the heels she had on, thankfully slipping socks over her abused toes and settling them into the far more comfortable form of her boots, which she laced as quickly as she could to steel herself into action. Danny was waiting patiently for her, bag held in both hands, calm, green eyes watching her as she gracefully balanced herself while going through the motions of putting her shoes on. Same cute look to his face, same hairstyle, same actions, same boy.

It was time to finally talk to Danny, and Sam was determined to not let anything get in the way, not even her own self.

"Are you ready?" Danny gently slipped the shoes from her hands as well, placing them inside her bag, "We're going to have to fly…unless you really want to walk."

"N-no," Sam forced herself to step forward, looking directly into those shockingly green eyes, "I can do this."

It was more of a statement to herself than to Danny, and the boy took it in stride, knowing that they'd be talking soon enough. Ever so gently the halfa inched forward, keeping the bag in one hand and wrapping the other around Sam, wincing slightly and pulling away when he felt a shudder run through the girl, "Sam, I can't do this to you. If you're afraid of me, then how are we supposed to be around one another?"

"I am _not_ afraid of _you _Danny," Sam tried to make herself perfectly clear as she spoke, wanting desperately to wash away the look hovering in Danny's eyes as he stood in front of her, "I'm afraid of…I'm afraid of ghosts, and I swear if you make fun of me I'll smack you, even if you are Phantom right now and you could just…obliterate me, because I know you wouldn't and that…that's the most important thing."

"You're afraid of ghosts," he ignored most of the sentence to focus on the main point that was bothering him, "I'm not two different…beings you know. I'm Danny, not Fenton and Phantom, you know that right?"

"Yes Danny," Sam was starting to get frustrated and knew she had to cool down before things got ugly. She needed to explain it like Jazz had, "Listen, okay? Jazz thinks that since all these ghosts have been targeting me and I've been getting attacked so much that I'm subconsciously reacting to you, even though I _know _you."

"You're afraid of me, but only because I'm a ghost," Danny shook his head with a tiny grin on his face, "Even though I'm not really and you already know that."

"Yes."

"Well," the halfa shrugged, running a hand through his hair, "I'm afraid of ghosts too."

"You're what?" Sam raised an eyebrow and stared incredulously, "You? Afraid of ghosts?"

"They're creepy alright?" Danny shivered, then stepped forward softly, "At least we've got another thing in common now. I'm not so scared of them anymore, and you seem like you're doing better around me."

"Jazz said it wasn't to the point of being a phobia yet, because I can still function, or something like that," Sam drew in a deep breath and stepped close enough to press herself into Danny's chest, close enough to smell him and feel the icy tingle that pervaded the air around his body, "I have to do this Danny, or it's only going to get worse, and I don't want to be afraid of you, because I'm not. I…I really like you."

"I'm just glad that you actually want to be around me," Danny slumped forward, catching Sam off guard in a hug. She froze for a second, but the boy didn't tighten his grip. He stayed still, gently nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder while she relaxed in his embrace, "I thought I was pushing you away somehow, that I was doing something wrong, and then Valerie showed up…I'm sorry I keep messing up Sam."

"You haven't messed up anything Danny," Sam slowly pulled her arms up and around his frame, ignoring the bag in his hold as she gripped the back of jumpsuit tightly, loving the feeling of being close to him again, "If anything I've made all the mistakes. I've been so…skittish lately and I didn't just come out and tell you, and then I was being so moody. I didn't mean any of it, I just wanted to try and figure out what the heck is wrong with me."

"Hey," the young man pulled back to catch her eyes, earnestly answering her statement while pulling her up and into the air with him, "There is nothing _wrong _with you. You're pretty much perfect Sam…with the one, tiny exception of being a ghost magnet. Other than that, you're fine."

"Oh laugh it up ghost boy," Sam kept her eyes latched on Danny's as she felt them rising, fear trying to rake its way up her belly and into her throat. She forced it back down, telling herself over and over that it was Danny, and Danny would never, ever let her fall, "As soon as I can kick your butt I will."

"I'll take that as a threat _and _a promise," Danny grinned, then laughed, his eyes sparkling brightly as they touched gently on a rooftop and separated, "Which reminds me…did I kidnap you or rescue you, because either way I think I get a kiss?"

"Just one," Sam cast her eyes down, licking her drying lips as she moved towards Danny again. She was nervous, a feeling she didn't enjoy and was fighting against as hard as she could. She wanted to kiss him, and damn it, she _would_. She was Sam Manson, the girl who stood out, who loved the unusual and unique, and Danny definitely fell under all three of those categories himself.

Danny's entire focus was on Sam's tongue as it smoothly rolled across her lips. Hungry eyes followed her as she moved closer and tipped her head upwards, marking his cue to move as well as he dropped her bag of clothes. It was the gentlest touch he could manage, barely lip to lip contact as he felt his body reacting not just to Sam, but some other influence about the girl. He ripped himself away a half second after that and backed away, thinking of what Clockwork had told him.

'Why did I feel like that?' he brought the back of his gloved hand up to his mouth, watching Sam with weary eyes as she started to look confused. Thinking quickly, he moved closer to her and smiled, blocking out everything that wasn't Sam and what could possibly make her smile, "Wow…I'd forgotten how nice that was."

"It wasn't that great," Sam rolled her eyes, but blushed from the roots of her hair downwards, which pleased Danny greatly, "I did like it though."

"See?" Danny teased, reaching out to brush back a random piece of hair that always fell across Sam's forehead, "Not all ghosts are bad…then again, we're not all perfectly well behaved young men either."

At Danny's exaggerated wink, Sam turned away and laughed, missing the mist that hovered between them and had Danny pulling Sam closer as he rose into the air. Her startled gasp had Danny silently apologizing in his head as he shot back down towards the earth, a ghost creature behind them in the shape of a rather ugly half fish, half person. Sam's breathless whisper of, "A mermaid," barely registered in Danny's mind as they landed rather roughly and he pushed her away from him, praying that the creature would pay more attention to the immediate threat he posed.

"Hey ugly, you're not the first to show up around here," Danny let energy pool in his hands as he watched Sam start to regain her footing to his left, adding a bit of ice to his power for good measure, 'It's a sea creature so it probably doesn't like the cold.'

Two shots were fired off quickly from Danny's hands before he closed in for battle with the mermaid, hoping that the fight would be quick. It turned out to be nothing of the sort and Danny felt drained after only a few minutes of hard fighting. To his credit, though, the other ghost looked just as tired.

It was at that moment that the mermaid turned its head towards Sam, regarding her with avid curiosity and a rather malevolent gleam to its eyes that Danny definitely didn't approve of. It was the same look that all the other ghosts had been giving the girl. His shouts and taunting did nothing to recapture its attention at that point, and so Danny made a desperate bid to distract it, moving in behind the creature, only to find himself swatted away by its tail.

The halfa left a furrow in the concrete where he slid to a stop, marveling at just how much muscle that tail seemed to be composed of.

Sam took three steps back before a look of determination crossed her face, one which Danny knew well and hoped that she could buy him enough time to clear his head and get back on his feet. Her hands went to her pocket where her precious lipstick resided, only to come out empty, her eyes widening in shock and horror at the realization that she'd left it in her bag. The bag currently on top of the seven story building to her right.

A piercing shriek gave Sam little warning as the creature lunged. Sam tripped backwards, barely managing to keep her footing as the ghost moved to strike again. Sam was quick, agile, and graceful, but even Danny could see that she was no match speed-wise for this ghost.

'Anything but that,' Danny thought as he pushed himself up, thinking how familiar this situation seemed before the night in the park popped into his head. He felt like everything was moving in slow motion then, with Sam still stumbling backwards and the ghost's hands flying out, aimed straight for her neck with deadly intention, 'Move Sam. _Move_!'

Years afterwards, Sam Manson would be able to recall with crystalline detail exactly how that moment had felt, even if she lacked the words to describe it. Her head had turned towards Danny as she started to fall, their eyes catching, and something ran through her entire body, her very being feeling as though she was at the mercy of a marionette master, as the halfa thrust his arm out and mouthed the word 'move' to her.

Her body obeyed instantly, even as her mind rebelled.

"Don't you _dare_ touch her!"

The fight continued on around her as Sam lay five feet away on the sidewalk, panting slightly and barely registering the brutal beating her halfa delivered to the other ghost. Less than two minutes later, Danny was bloody and breathing just as hard as she was, but victorious as he jammed the lid back on the thermos and rushed to her side, dropping to one knee, "Sam?"

She was shivering violently at that point, still drawing in shallow breathes as her body fought off the invading feeling of being controlled. Rolling to her side, Sam threw up what little of dinner she had eaten that night and lay as still as she could, shaking her head as she tried to process what had just happened to her.

'She's in shock,' Danny realized, glancing around the street for any random person who might be able to help him. There was no one, and the halfa realized he'd have to work alone and fast, 'I have to get her warmed up to counter her shock and then to somewhere safe. There's no way I can protect her by myself like this…'

The girl had moved to sit up at this point, but was wobbling unsteadily and just as her body started to tilt backwards Danny moved to grab her, only to have Sam jerk away, shaking even more violently than before and yelling with tears streaming down her face. He didn't completely understand what her problem could possibly be until he thought back over what he'd done in his desperation.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again!" Sam scooted back slightly, shaking her head and not caring that her mascara was running down her cheeks in black rivers, "Do you hear me? Never!"

"Do what?" Danny scooted forward on his knees, carefully keeping close in case she started to fall again, 'What happened? All I did was move her, right? I just picked her up and moved her like a pencil…or the ice, or whatever!'

"You…you were in…you were," her breathe was becoming shorter as she grew more upset and Danny worried that she might pass out from hyperventilating, "You were moving me!"

"I know," Danny was puzzled and his face must have show it; Sam started to calm down as he tried to explain what he thought he did, "All I did was levitate you out of the way, Sam, I swear, I didn't do anything but that."

"N-no," she shook her head, her eyes glazing slightly as she started to panic worse, "You controlled me…you were making me move, made my body do something. I _hate_ that. I _hate_ it."

The venom that dripped from her lips was like a slap to Danny's face as he thought back over the moment. She was right, it hadn't felt like levitating something at all, and that was worrisome enough without the added problem of Sam having a mental breakdown before his eyes, 'I…I made her move…it was like I overshadowed her without ever being in her body. That's amazing, but how the hell did I do it? Was this one of the new powers that Mom found when she analyzed me? Sam…'

His attention back on the girl before him, Danny held out his hands, trying to show that he wasn't going to do anything, "Sam, I didn't mean to do anything. It felt like…it felt like I overshadowed you, but I wasn't inside your body…it's strange, something new that I've never done before, okay? I didn't know what I was doing, all I knew what that I wanted to move you."

"Why?" Sam shook her head and started to curl into herself, fighting back her tears finally and shaking from the effort of it, "I don't ever want to be controlled. It's the worse thing that I can think of happening to me, to be controlled, oversh-shadowed, p-possessed, to lose the ability to th-think for myself."

"Sam. I didn't mean to," the halfa moved forward again, ignoring her feeble attempts to pull away from him this time in favor of wrapping her in a hug, pulling her body against his own. She protested, but finally stilled as she started to shake again. Adrenaline gone, she was going back into shock and that was the last thing Danny wanted, "Hold on Sam, we're going home. It's gonna' be fine, okay? I'm sorry…"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'What the heck?'

It was the only thought that Jazz could form when her brother literally materialized right in front of her on her walk to the stairs. She was going to get a few hours in front of the computer in before she headed off to bed that evening, but he apparently had other ideas as he uncurled himself from around a violently shaking Sam. He was spattered with his own greenish-brown-red blood, but Jazz couldn't find a spot on him that would have produced it. That was of minor importance at the moment though, as his eyes were wild and he was starting to frantically plea with her to do something about Sam.

"Danny, calm down and breath," she ordered, snapping him out of his fanatical state as she took stock of the situation and headed for the kitchen, "Go put her down on the couch and put some blankets on her. And take off her boots!"

Doing as he was told immediately, Sam found herself lowered onto the soft, new couch the Fentons had bought days before. It was purple, which was her favorite color and she lost herself in the hue, ignoring the world around her in favor of listening to her own sharp breathes and Danny's voice as he tried to soothe both her and himself.

"Sam, relax okay?" he phased her boots off and pulled a blanket down over her, green eyes shining brightly with his worry, "You gotta' calm down, you're in shock right now, okay? Just breath."

'I am breathing,' Sam thought sarcastically and frowned as she couldn't quite form the words, 'Danny…what's going on with me?'

"Here, prop her up a little with pillows and let's see if we can get her to calm down a little more," Jazz reappeared from the kitchen with a glass of water in one hand and the first aide kit in the other, "Sam…can you understand me? Just nod if you do."

Numbly, Sam found herself nodding and she blinked heavily. Things were moving too fast and the feeling of someone else being in control of her body was still heavily weighing on her. Her eyes turned to Danny, finding him agitatedly pacing a few steps away. Gathering everything she had, Sam spoke, calling to her hero and her worst nightmare come true. The thoughts of months before drifted into her mind just as she managed to get out his name, 'He's such a contradiction…'

"Danny?"

"Sam?" he was kneeling at her side in less than a second, searching her with concerned eyes, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know that you…"

"It's…okay," she got out weakly, bringing a hand up to her forehead as she regained some of her composure, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," Jazz watched as Danny shook his head, then leaned back to fall and sit on the floor, right at the edge of the couch, "It's those stupid ghosts! I'm going to tear all of them apart!"

To her credit, Sam chuckled, and Jazz knew then that whatever had happened, she was recovering from it.

"I don't mean to cut in," Jazz looked pointed at her brother, "but what the heck were you thinking just coming in here with Sam in your arms like that? Mom and Dad could have been in there. Thank God they're down in that stupid wigwam thing again."

"I don't care," Danny frowned heavily, "Sam…something was wrong."

"She was in shock obviously," Jazz shook her head, then moved the water to Sam who greedily emptied the glass, "What happened?"

"He moved me," Sam averted her eyes, swallowing hard as the feeling brushed over her again, "He reached out and literally made my body move. Controlled me. I…It's the only thing that I have ever _really _been terrified of…and it didn't really start until right after the beginning of sophomore year. I may be afraid of ghosts, but that feeling doesn't hold a candle to this."

"Undergrowth," Danny breathed out, his mouth falling open in shock as realization swept over him, "Sam that's why you're so terrified of being controlled. Damn it."

"Undergrowth?" Sam glanced between her halfa and his sister, taking in their stony appearances, "I've heard of him before, but nobody remembered very much. Just that he took over the town and you saved us from him."

"Jazz, can you go call Tucker?"

"I already did when I got the water," the older girl sighed, "I figured you'd want the other member of your little group here with you and Sam…I just never thought…"

"Hey," Sam sat up further, ignoring how lightheaded she was feeling and the weary caution she was starting to feel around Danny again, "Can someone please tell the girl on the couch just what the heck is going on?"

"Sam," Danny edged forward, blue rings forming and sliding over his form as blue eyes suddenly peered at her with worry, "Can we please wait for Tucker? He can tell most of the beginning and I'll tell you the end okay?"

The girl just folded her arms, not at all sure she was pleased with the situation at the moment, but trusting Danny enough to know when he was probably right about something. She would wait, but she didn't have to be happy about it, "Okay."

It was probably for the best as she slipped into a light sleep a few moments later, dreaming of ice, puppets, and plants.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"…glad you're here…"

"…fell asleep….not quite…"

"…came quick…"

"…think she's almost awake…"

"Sam? Sam?" Danny's voice was the first to truly pierce the fog that had wrapped itself around her mind, pulling her back from the depths of sleep and into the conscious would where her head was killing her, "Hey, wake up sleeping beauty."

"Sleeping beauty my foot."

"Yep," and there was Tucker's voice, "That's our Sam."

"Oh, be nice," Jazz hushed the other boy, leaning over Sam as she started to blink the blurred edges away from her vision, "Are you alright? You just sort of passed out on us. Tucker's been here for a little while so he's been filled in on what happened."

"I'm alright," Sam tried to sit up and found two pairs of very concerned boys' hands to help her, both of which she batted away, "My head's killing me though."

"Here's some aspirin," Tucker handed over two small red pills with a glass of water, watching as Sam took them at the same time, "Geeze, wish I could…I mean…not _wish_. No, I just want to be able to do that…definitely _not_ wish."

"Give it a rest," Danny playfully shoved Tucker, rolling his eyes at his best friend's overdramatic reaction, "I caught her two weeks ago, and you know she only comes out every two or three months."

"Better safe than sorry," Tucker mumbled dejectedly as he straightened his glasses, moving to sit beside Sam's feet on the end of the couch, "So…are we going to _finally_ tell Sam?"

"Finally?" Sam repeated, then narrowed her eyes on Danny, "Explain. Now."

"Right," he shot a nervous glance to Tucker, who was supposed to start the story off for him, "Tucker?"

"Heh, well," the boy reached up for his hat, scratching at his head nervously before determinedly shoving the hat back on and turning to face Sam, "Undergrowth took over our town, I'm sure you remember that right? But you don't remember anything else?"

"Pretty much," Sam wearily glanced between the three, "Why?"

"We're not sure why no one but the two of us remembered, but we figure it's because I was the last to be assimilated and Danny didn't get caught and made into a plant zombie at all," Tucker grinned nervously, fiddling with the edge of the blanket still covering Sam's feet, "Undergrowth didn't work alone though."

"So someone was helping him make the people into…plant zombies?"

"Right," the boy shifted again, and a sneaking suspicion began to rise in Sam just as Tucker finally spoke, "We didn't know you then. All we knew was you were some kid from school who he chose to be his Queen because you loved nature or something."

"His _Queen_?" Danny was almost positive that Sam's eyes had never been wider than at that moment, "What the _hell_ does that mean?"

"Tucker," Danny shot him a look, "You suck at story telling, just so you know man."

"Yeah, thanks," he fidgeted again, "I'd like to see you do any better."

"Look, Sam," Danny moved to sit beside Sam, happy that she had chosen to slide over to include him instead of him having to ask her, "We were on our way to school when the ghost appeared and started taking over the town. You were just across the street and he spotted you and grabbed you, ranting about making you his queen. You said a few…choice words, which let us know that you probably would appreciate some help."

"Let's just say," Tucker cut in, ignoring Jazz's frown for the moment, "That whole dead seafood in the alley thing was not the first time that you were saved by Phantom…"

Sam was left open mouthed as she turned to face Danny again, pleading with her eyes for him to continue. He did so, but he sounded far too tired all of a sudden.

"I fought with the ghost and he almost won…had both me and Tucker trapped and then he introduced you. You were completely under his control Sam," Danny swallowed hard as he felt the girl beside him stiffen, the realization of just why she hated being controlled so greatly sweeping over her and spreading to him, "We fought."

"We fought?" Sam sounded horrified at the thought, "What do you mean we fought? What happened…what did I do?"

"You just tried to catch me, like Undergrowth wanted. I was having problems with a new power, and while they saved me, they were also killing me," a small ice crystal formed in Danny's palm, just like the other day in the lab, and Sam's eyes widened with realization.

"Ice," she gently touched the crystal with a fingertip, then drew back quickly as she thought hard on the implications, "You defeated him by gaining your ice powers. You froze him, probably killed his roots with the ice."

"Yeah," the halfa nodded, a feeling of relief rolling off his chest when she didn't react badly to the news, "I went to the ghost zone and found a friend who helped me gain control over my powers. I came back and defeated him…and fought with you again. After I beat him, I found you laying in the middle of downtown, right where we had fought last. I moved you with some other kids who were around our age so no one would try to single you out if they remembered…but no one did. Not even you…though I kinda' wish you had."

"I fought you," Sam seemed stuck on that point, shaking her head as she thought it over and over, "How could _I_ fight _Phantom_?"

"Because you were a plant goddess to hear Danny tell it," Tucker snorted and broke into the conversation again, "You were pretty hot Sam…must've been really distracting to Danny."

"She's a good fighter, Tucker," Danny was pink and avoiding eye contact with both his sister and Sam at that moment. He hadn't quite planned for Tucker to let that bit of information slip, "She…Sam, you, could control the plants, make them attack, all that. It was a tough fight, but I didn't want to hurt you, so I ran. I couldn't think of anything else to do."

"I…"

But Sam didn't get anything else out, speechless over the information that had been given to her. She'd wanted to know why they always changed the subject whenever Undergrowth was mentioned, but she'd certainly never expected something like this. It seemed surreal, even in the world of magic and bizarre happenings that she'd been living in lately.

"I…"

She was losing the ability to speak as too many thoughts rushed into her mind, 'What did I do? How hard did we fight; did I hurt him? Why is he even around me…after I did…after I helped that ghost enslave all those people? Oh God, did he not tell me because he didn't trust me before? Because he thought I was evil or something? Why?'

"Sam," Jazz gently shook her shoulder, "I know this is a lot to take in on top of everything else, but it explains why you were so freaked out when Danny uh…_moved _you, for lack of a better term. Undergrowth controlled you in a powerful way, probably similar to what Danny did, and you reacted to it, even though you couldn't consciously remember what happened."

"But did I just give in to him?" Sam looked down at her lap, frowning deeply at all the dark thoughts seeping into her mind, "Did I just give up and start helping him because it was easier? Maybe he didn't force me at all…"

"No," Danny cut her off, reaching over and turning her head to face him, "Listen Sam, there was a second before I ran when I was trying to talk you out of it. You stopped for a second, like you were trying to listen, and then the vines around you twitched, like they were struggling with something. For a second, you were fighting him and I saw it. He was just too strong…it wasn't your fault."

"I don't think it was your fault Sam," Tucker shook his head, reassuring her and backing up what Danny said, "You're definitely not the type of person who would enslave other people."

"I wasn't keeping tabs on you or anything," Danny hurried to explain, worried that Sam might think the worst about how they'd ended up together, "It was just random that I saved you that day in the alley, and when we talked that first time in the hall outside of the office…I just wanted to talk to you. You looked like you could use someone to talk to, even if it was just a second. I never though you'd do anything like that…I never thought that-"

"Danny," her voice, quiet and calm now that she'd had some time to think things over stopped his rambling in its tracks, "I know. I believe you."

It was that simple statement that left Danny leaning back into the couch with a weight coming off his shoulders that he hadn't even realized he'd been carrying. Her eyes had been honest when she spoke, and that had done Danny worlds of good. Sam was doing better, and so, he could relax slightly.

He watched from the corner of his eyes as Sam sagged back slightly, accepting another glass of water from Jazz and then a hug from Tucker, sinking into him gratefully as she just let go for a second to breath.

Danny took a page from her book and stood, walking for a second to relax his muscles even further, noticing now after all was taken care of that all his bruises, cuts, burns, and other problems were gone. Casting a glance back at Sam, who looked so small enfolded in both the blankets and Tucker's arms, Danny took a deep breath and stopped. The time for paying debts and the time for reckonings was coming swiftly on the heels of that night, but for now, Danny decided to just breath.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Across town an old man stepped out to his rooftop garden, having just remembered that he needed to water his new batch of ferns before he went to sleep that night. Imagine his surprise when he found a backpack sitting on his rooftop, a dress and a pair of shoes, as well as a strange green lipstick sitting inside. It belonged to someone named 'Sam E. Manson'.

Deciding that it was none of his business and stranger things had happened in Amity Park in the time he'd lived there, the man moved it to a table under a sturdy awning, where surely it wouldn't get damaged by rain or other sun.

The owner, he figured, would be along to pick it up one of these days, and far be it from him to incite the wrath of some ghostly entity or other by making off with it.


	14. Speculations

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: Ah! So short again, but it's soooo jammed packed with information! AND there's another little cliffy for the third arc in here between Danny and Vlad! Yay!

Lots of love to you guys and I seriously hope you love this chapter. We finally find out what's up with Sam!

Not edited, so hit me up with the typos!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Fourteen: Speculations**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

The night was stretching on at the hotel ballroom where the convention for the prevention of the destruction of the rainforest and other diverse landscapes was taking place. In short, it was known as the Land Preservations Dinner, held once every other year, and not once had Sam ever missed it, nor left early from it.

Whatever was wrong with her, was either serious or made up, though she definitely had a very plausible excuse. Whatever the case, Pam Manson decided that her daughter would be dealt with accordingly. Lots of sympathy and chocolate, or grounding until the end of summer, or maybe both for leaving so uncouthly.

Whatever happened, _that _would certainly teach her little rebellious teenager a lesson.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Sam," Jazz sat heavily on the coffee table some few moments later, phone in her hand a rather pleading look in her eyes, "You should probably let your parents know where you're at."

"They're not home, and they'd just get upset if they found out," Sam didn't turn her head from watching Danny pace, "If I called the staff or my grandmother and my parents found out that they knew I was here and didn't come get me, they'd be in more trouble than I'm gonna' be."

"I can take you home," Danny offered as he stopped moving for a moment, "I'll just walk you if you want me to."

"I really don't want to go anywhere," Sam shook her head, watching as the halfa started moving again, her eyes following him as she sat trying to work some things out in her mind, "I mean, really where's safer than here right now?"

"Somewhere were there's no ghosts," Tucker quipped, pulling Sam attention off of Danny effectively and engaging her in a conversation, "Too bad we don't have access to a place like that, huh?"

"Yeah," Sam turned a bit, feeling a bit more at ease than she had the past hour or so, "Tucker…can I ask you something?"

"Shoot, Sam," he grinned and winked, "I'm all ears."

"I know that," the girl teasingly flicked an earlobe, "but seriously. Everything that's happened since I met Danny the first time, or at least the first time I remember, do you think it was just because he was pulled to me like the other ghosts?"

"What makes you say that?" Tucker wondered, thinking back over all the times Danny had played hero to the girl before she had figured out that Fenton and Phantom were one and the same, "Sam, Danny plays hero, plain and simple. He would have saved you all those times, even if you didn't have this weird problem with ghosts. It's probably just a coincidence that you have this 'pull' and Danny showed up to help you."

"No, I don't believe in coincidences," the young woman stubbornly shook her head, "Everything happens for a reason, Tucker, you should know that by now."

"And maybe Danny being around to protect you and for you two to fall in love with each other was one of those reasons," the boy shot back, rolling his eyes even as Sam blushed prettily, "Listen, Sam, I know you're probably thinking up all these reasons and excuses about what happened and why, but the fact of the matter was that Danny started falling hard and fast for you before you even figured out his little secret. Before all these ghosts really started coming after you, even though Sydney Poindexter said something about it starting when you two met as girl and ghost the first time."

"Tuck," Sam heaved a deep breath, "Do you really believe that?"

"I really do," he pulled her into another hug, a loving hand gently smoothing down her hair, "Things work out Sam…try to see the bright side."

"I'm a goth, Tucker," the girl laughed gently and snuggled into his side to rest, "The brightest it gets for me is the purple of the couch."

"Or the unbelievably white hair on a certain halfa's head?"

"Maybe, but you're pushing it pillow boy. Now hold still so I can get used to human contact, and don't expect this to ever happen again in the near future."

"Aye, aye, ma'am!'

"Tuck…"

"Shutting up!"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Danny," Jazz's hand landed smack on the back of his head, propelling the boy forward slightly as he turned with a grimace, "Stop glaring at Tucker, and stop being jealous. If that wasn't the most brotherly hug in the history of hugs then I don't know what is."

"I'm not jealous," the halfa lied badly, pouting when Jazz looked at him knowingly, "Okay, so maybe I am a little, but that's my job, not Tucker's. He doesn't get to sit on the couch and hold Sam…"

"Yes, he does," Jazz rolled her eyes and pulled Danny further away and into the kitchen, leaving Sam to balance herself out with the help of her friend, "He's one of her best friends, isn't he? That means he gets to give her a comforting hug whenever she needs it. It also means that she's starting to get over everything and open up to us again."

"Yeah, okay," Danny groused, still rubbing at the sore spot Jazz had left on his scalp, "Still…"

"Still nothing little brother," Jazz frowned heavily, "Why are you so sore about it anyways?"

"Because, after everything we finally got to talk about tonight…," he trailed off for a second, causing Jazz to prompt him to continue with a jab to his side, "Ow…jeeze, alright. We finally got to talk and she admitted that she's afraid of me when I'm ghost. Then that stupid mermaid thing had to show up and ruin everything! How am I supposed to help her get over _fearing_ me when I did something that's been one of her deepest, darkest fears since Undergrowth used her?"

"For one thing you didn't know it," Jazz started listen reasons, ticking them off with her fingers as she went, "Sam already accepted your apology and hasn't been acting too badly around you, you've been doing your best to stay calm about everything, which has helped Sam, and you've been keeping the ghosts away from her."

"Keeping them away isn't enough anymore," Danny shook his head, then slid a sideways glance to the door leading to the lab, 'I think it's time I paid a visit to everyone's least favorite free-loading jerk of a fruit loop. He has a promise to keep, and he had better keep it or else.'

"Danny?" Sam's voice came from the living room, prompting him to hesitate. He couldn't wait any longer though, and in truth he'd been putting it off for far too long as it was.

"I'll be back in a while Sam," he called out, pushing past his sister and changing at the same time, walking to the door with deadly determination, "Stay put."

Striding confidently, Danny went through the door and glided gracefully down the stairs, coming to a stop in front of the containment cube Plasmius was currently pacing around in. A sneer was exchanged between the two, then hateful, heated looks before Plasmius finally moved forward to speak softly, as the Fenton elders were in the teepee set up on the other side of the lab, "What do you want, child?"

"I want you to pay your debt," Danny's voice was ice cold and demanding, leaving no room for interpretation, "I got you Masters days ago, so tell me what you know about what's happening to Sam."

"Now why would I want to do that and ruin all the fun that's been going on?" a stray piece of what appeared to be lint was plucked from the edge of his cape, the light catching it as it drifted down to the floor, "It's been keeping you so very busy after all."

"If my parents don't have a problem using the Attitude Modulator on you, what makes you think I will?"

"Oh my," the ghost mocked, bringing a hand up to his mouth in false horror, "You, brave, heroic, Danny Phantom would stoop to the level of threats? Why I never…"

"This isn't funny anymore," Danny viciously shot back, trying his hardest to keep his voice down and his emotions under control, "Sam is in real danger, more everyday, and I can't keep tabs on her twenty-four, seven. Tell me what you know."

"Don't dare to presume that you can threaten me child," fang-like teeth were bared and Danny felt his eyes changing into a rather sickly yellow in response as his anger grew, "There is no love loss between us, no matter what you used to think of me when I was still half of the mortal world. I would sooner rip you apart and be done with it than stand here and listen to your idle threats."

"I assure you," Danny pulled back a hand, already glowing and ready to strike, "I'm not making idle threats right now, Plasmius."

"One day," the ghost haughtily turned his back on the boy, "I will kill you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Fool," the man spun around again, "You so desire information? I will give it to you. There is a pull of some sort around your dear Miss Manson, which acts as an attractant to all ghosts. Whatever their obsession, they feel it coming from the girl, only ten fold, or even a thousand fold as the power grows. Do not think that you are not effected boy. Even I went to see if what I had learned of her was true on the night you caught me."

"But Clockwork said…"

"Clockwork will say whatever it takes to get a time stream back to the way it needs be child," the message was spit out, as though he was disgusted by the very mentioning of the time ghost, "So clever Daniel, but so gullible of you to seek him out."

"I don't believe you," Danny fought back, "You lie all the time, I have no reason to believe you."

"Even young Danielle was here, was she not?"

Danny didn't deign to answer, causing Plasmius to start raving again, though this time it helped Danny's breaking spirit, "You may have not even noticed the pull, seeing as you've been around the girl for so long. It may have seemingly not affected you, may not have pulled you in the same way because you lack an obsession, but even I can see that your powers have been growing, boy."

"So…it may not have 'pulled' me because I'm not your typical ghost?" Danny's eyes faded into their natural green quickly, his heart rising in his chest at the news, "Sweet!"

"Boy!"

"Whatever Plasmius, you've told me enough," the halfa shook his head, and started back upstairs, ignoring the threats and words hurled his way by the ghost, "I'll figure something out on my own. I don't need you to do that."

Phasing back into the kitchen, Danny slumped against the door he'd just passed through, glancing around and happily noticing he was alone. Talking to Plasmius had offered few answer…but there was one other person who would know just as much and, due to the way things had been going, might be willing to give them up a little easier.

Danny only hoped that he could get the man talking, and unsteadily headed towards the phone as he let himself change back into a human, 'Hope I don't wake him up…I hate having to deal with a grumpy Vlad…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Jazz returned to the kitchen twenty minutes after Danny had gone downstairs, praying that he wouldn't disturb their parents and be caught off guard. Sam and Tucker had continued to talk, but this time it was about the passing of summer and the coming school year. Sam could hardly believe that she'd only met them all at the beginning of the spring semester and was already so deeply ingrained in their lives.

Tucker just laughed, downed the rest of a soda he'd been working on, and said something along the lines of Danny's life having a tendency to suck other people in without his permission or control. Jazz laughed and opted to get another drink for them all, moving back into the kitchen to find the boy hanging up the phone with a deathly pale expression on his face.

"Danny?" Jazz moved forward as he let his head hit the wall, closing his eyes and grimacing about something, "What's wrong?"

"I think I just made a deal with the devil," the boy turned worried eyes towards Jazz, laughing slightly, "No one can ever tell me that I don't care about Sam though. I just pretty much sold my soul for her. Let's go into the living room so I don't have to tell this more than once…"

The story that followed had Jazz, as well as Sam and Tucker, on the edge of their seats, as both worry over a promise made and pride at Danny's cunning shot through them all.

"I called Vlad," Danny started in on the story with little pretext, "Plasmius wouldn't help me out, so I figured that with the way Vlad has been acting…well, I was right at least…"

"_Daniel, to what do I owe the pleasure of this late night call?"_

"_You were right…about Plasmius," Danny screwed up his courage, waiting for the onslaught of laughter and mocking, but received nothing more than a 'hm' and so continued on, "He won't tell me anything I need to know."_

"_And what do you need to know?"_

"_What's going on with Sam."_

"_Ah, yes," the man on the other end of the line sounded delighted that this was being brought up, "I know a great deal about our favorite Manson, and as a matter of fact, I was on my way to investigate on the night you happened to catch me."_

"_I heard about that," Danny rolled his eyes, grateful that he'd caught the man before he'd made it to Sam's house, "What do you know about Sam's….well, 'pull' for lack of a better word. Why is she attracting ghosts?"_

"_Danny," a stern warning voice sounded through the line, and the halfa didn't know what to think about what Vlad said next, "I cannot simply tell you this information for nothing. I believe an equivalent exchange in is order here. A promise."_

'_A promise,' Danny echoed in his mind, recalling what Clockwork had said and realizing that he'd wasted his time when it came to Plasmius. Here was the person he was supposed to talk to all along, the most obvious being in the world sitting under his nose the entire time. Danny had just been too proud, or perhaps too cautious to even consider this option, and here it was turning out to be the best, "What sort of promise?"_

"_That's better boy, use your brain when beginning negotiations," Vlad's wicked smirk traveled through the tone of his voice and had Danny wincing, wondering just what he was getting himself into, "I simply want your word that when I ask you to do one thing for me, just once, you will do it, no questions asked."_

"_That's a little broad," Danny's grip tightened on the phone, wondering just how big a moron Vlad thought him to be, "You could ask me to take over the world or rewrite history or break laws for all I know."_

"_Oh yes, and you'd be honor bound to perform them, lest I decide to spill the beans about your little secret," Masters chuckled darkly, then began speaking again in a far more businesslike tone, "If you make this promise to me, I assure you that I will have you do nothing illegal, harmful, or damaging to yourself or others…you can even make the call about it. If you think it would be detrimental to yourself or anyone else, you can simply say no and give me the reason and I shall think of a different task for you. Does that sound like a good agreement?"_

"_About as good as I'll get out of you," Danny grumbled and shifted to stand more comfortably, "You tell me what you know about Sam, all of it, and it has to be helpful information, not just 'she has a pull' or 'she attracts ghosts and haflas' or anything like that."_

"_You've impressed me yet again Daniel," the older man chuckled, making Danny worry, "I believe I am making the correct choice when I say this: Sam was not just possessed when Undergrowth tore his way through your town, boy."_

"_What do you mean?" Danny started to panic, thousands of implications flying through his head, "Vlad tell me, or so help me, you're going to have one pissed off halfa on your front door step…"_

"_I simply mean that she was not overshadowed as it would be normal to do," Vlad paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, then continued when he was mostly assured that Danny was calming down, "She was imbued with a large portion of Undergrowth's power in order for her to become the 'queen' he wanted. It was this fact that I was studying when you caught me, and I've come to some very interesting conclusions since I've been split."_

"_Such as…," Danny pressed, feeling that he was nearing the answer he desperately needed._

"_Perhaps we should go back to when you defeated the ghost," Vlad leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath before continuing his story, "He was basically destroyed, yes, but his power which had been stored in a human form was still there. Sam basically became a storage cell with the energy laying dormant. She could not detect it or do anything about it or with it, and so it basically sleeps in her body…until a ghost comes along."_

"_Until I came along," Danny stated knowingly, feeling horrible that he'd brought that on Sam somehow, "How did I…or, um, what did I do?"_

"_I believe, and mind you this is just a theory, that the more ghostly influence around her, the more the energy reacts," a thoughtful hum was heard over the phone then, "Basically, since ectoplasm seemingly has a mind of its own when all is said and done, it reacted to the source of energy you provided. The more you, and other ghosts, were around her, the more the energy stored inside of her grew. The more it grew, the easier it became for others to detect, though it was probably difficult to tell exactly what it was because it's hidden behind her human exterior."_

"_So…sort of how Danni and you never would trigger my ghost sense?"_

"_Exactly," Vlad sounded proud, and that made Danny worry more, "The only difference is, you are in control of your energy and Sam is not. It is reaching for an outlet, for something that can take control of it."_

"_For a ghost."_

"_Yes, for a ghost," Vlad nodded, "Ectoplasmic energy is alive in a way, and is constantly seeking out a host that can manipulate and use it. It is how ghosts gain energy and power. The more they can attract and control, the more powerful they become, thus Sam is the ultimate prize for any ghost. The more the energy she holds grows, the more powerful the attraction becomes."_

"_So, Sam's a battery, and the ultimate prize for ghosts," Danny cocked his head and winced, "She's not gonna' like hearing that."_

"_I imagine she won't," Vlad chuckled, "You have my condolences."_

"_Not sure what they're worth, but thanks anyways."_

"_You will be hearing from me soon Little Badger, do not forget your promise to me," he could almost see the malicious smirk spreading across the man's face, "After all a man's word is his bond, and I've done my part, Daniel. Goodbye."_

"_Bye," but the phone was already dead and Danny wasn't sure which emotion to feel first. Elation that he knew what was going on with Sam, dread over such a generalized promise, or fear that something was going to happen to her because of this power she unknowingly held. It was all too much and Danny just sunk against the wall._

"And that's pretty much the whole story," the halfa winced, stopping his pacing as his blue eyes darted over the faces of the three in the room. Tucker looked shell-shocked, which was exactly what Danny was feeing, Jazz looked worried over the promise he'd made, and Sam…Sam looked shaken.

"Sam?" the boy moved closer to her, glancing at his sister and Tucker, who promptly got the message and stood to leave, "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine, but…," she turned to face him, determination in her eyes, "I have to know, right now from you, do you like me because I'm some stupid, giant ghost battery, or because you like me for me?"

"I like you for you, Sam," the boy leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek, letting his face rest there as he spoke in a hushed voice to her, "You're funny and smart, beautiful, unique, and always know how to keep me in line. I told you already, Sam, you're perfect with the exception of being a ghost magnet, and now that we know why, we can get you fixed."

"You make it sound like I'm broken," Sam leaned into him, enjoying the feeling of his arms going around her and realizing just how little physical contact they'd shared the entire summer, "So…how are you going to fix me?"

He was, as always, surprised by Sam's tenacity, though he supposed by that point he should have known better where Sam was involved. Danny blinked once as he thought over her question, then sheepishly blushed and turned away, "Um, I don't really know…I didn't really think about that part, so I sorta' forgot to ask."

"Well, you're not calling that creep again, you dork, or you'll get yourself stuck with another promise," Sam gently, albeit a little shakily punched his arm, smiling up at the boy as a tiny flame of hope kindled in her chest, 'We may be a little strained right now, but we definitely aren't broken.'

"You got that right," Danny chuckled, holding her even closer, "No more deals with him…unless it's the last thing I can think of to save you again."

"Danny," Sam laughed gently, laying a soft kiss on his cheek in return for the one he gave earlier, "Let's see if we can figure something out on our own first. I'm sorry that everything has been so crazy lately."

"Same here, Sam," Danny scooted sideways and draped his arm over her shoulder, letting her snuggle into his side as Tucker had done earlier and feeling a thousand times better for knowing what was going on, "I promise, I'm going to get this figured out."

The pair sat for a few more minutes in silence, simply readjusting to one another's company in light of all that had happened. The answer to their problem had only created more questions, but that was alright. They had one another, and as Tucker and Jazz finally drifted back in to join them, they realized they had their friends and family as well.

A deep sigh issued from Sam as she felt herself drifting into sleep yet again, willingly surrendering her body to sleep in hopes that it would somehow lessen the effects of the news Danny had just shared. After all, who wants to be told their a giant battery? Not the most pleasing image of one's self, if Sam did say so herself, and in fact she did, just before fully falling asleep, "Stupid ghost battery…"

The three left awake just laughed quietly to themselves, agreeing wholeheartedly with the effected girl. There was plenty of time to deal with the problem, as it was only a quarter to nine, and it was best if she rested for now as it promised to be a trying night.


	15. Current

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: God what is wrong with me? I've done two unforgivable things, lol. I've updated again, like the mad writing fool I am and hurt my poor, abused fingers, _and_ I've given you another cliffhanger. What a retch I am, eh? Plus it's short…oh the shortness of it, though I've had several very supportive people, (ahem…Jay…ahem) tell me that it's quality, not quantity that's important. Thank you!

Hope you guys adore it all like I have and lap it up. Danny is quite shmexiful at the end, or so I think. It's…insert a wonderfully dramatic pause here…_delicious_. (wink)

Typos, oh God, the Typos! They've come for my soul!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Fifteen: Current**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Knowing the whys of the situation definitely was making life a little easier on Danny as he sat holding Sam that night on the couch, her breath coming in gentle puffs against his arm as he sat and contemplated his part in the ordeal Sam had been facing. Jazz and Tucker were quietly debating just what could be done, neither coming up with anything in particular, all while an idea began to form in Danny's head.

Sam, being the giant battery that she was, was definitely warm against his side, and this distracted Danny's thoughts. She'd been the most distracting thing in his life to date, and considering everything he'd been through, from clones to possession to identity theft, that was certainly saying something about the girl. Perhaps it was this distraction, as Tucker had teasingly suggested one time, that was keeping him from being able to feel the energy Sam was storing and harvesting from the world around her. Maybe that was why Clockwork had told him it did effect him, but it didn't effect what he felt for the girl.

Thirty minutes after Sam drifted off into another exhausted sleep, she was blinking her eyes open to the feeling of a soft hand running through her hair, Danny's eyes catching her own as she woke. It was odd looking at the person she'd grown to care so much for and realizing just how much of a boy he still way, even though he'd become the town's savior so many times, and her own personal hero more times than she cared to count. The cute tilt of his head as he continued to contemplate her with a cute smirk growing on his face only served to drive the point home in Sam's mind.

"Finally woke up again?" Danny's eyes were smiling, something which Sam was worried she'd never see again due to the stress surrounding her, "We've got plenty of time to talk about it…why don't you sleep some more? Tuck and Jazz are just arguing."

"We are not," Jazz frowned grumpily at her little brother, "We're discussing the best method of removing the energy from Sam."

"And we've got nothing," Tucker helpfully interjected, ruffling Jazz's feathers and making Sam laugh, "We're going to have to come up with a plan B, Danny. We don't know enough about something like this to be able to pull something out of thin air."

"We're going to have to talk to Mom and Dad," Jazz heaved a sigh, completely unsure of how they were going to approach the subject with them, "The only problem is, how do we do it so they don't try to tear Sam apart with tests?"

"They're going to have to do tests anyways," Danny pointed out, standing to stretch and smiling down at Sam as she settled back into the couch, still tired from the shocks she'd been put through that evening and night, "They can't just hear the story and then tell us how to get rid of it. They probably know about as much as we do anyways, but they have the equipment and knowledge to help."

"Dude, that was pretty grown up thinking there," Tucker strode over and slapped the back of his hand across Danny's forehead, "No fever…are you possessed? Quick, when did I throw up into that kid's lunch box?"

"Second grade, and knock it off," Danny brushed past his friend, a thoughtful frown settling on his face, "If we're going to bring Mom and Dad into this, then we need to do it soon. I don't know about anyone else, but I feel like we should start doing something about this now that we know what we're dealing with."

"I agree," Sam slowly stood, working out the soreness of her muscles and the stiffness in her legs that came with sitting too long, "I want to get rid of this, not wait around until something occurs to one of us. Let's just bring your parents up here and talk to them about it."

"We're going to have to be careful," Jazz sat down on the edge of the coffee table, thinking hard, "I'll go down and get them and explain some of what's been happening…I'm just going to have to figure out how the heck to do that…"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Mom, Dad?" Jazz's voice floated through the thick skin of the wigwam they'd set up for a ritualistic cleansing, "I really need to talk to you. Something's wrong with Sam."

"What was that dear?" Maddie poked her head out, her own maternal instincts kicking in at the mention of one of the children she'd grown fond of, "What's wrong with Sam?"

"Jazzy-pants," her father's head appeared next to her mother's, making Jazz smile. She always had been daddy's little girl, "What's going on cupcake?"

"Um, Danny just brought Sam in from outside," Jazz started talking slowly as her parents came out of the tent, shaving down months worth of ghostly interaction into just a few moments of speech as best she could, "She's been having a lot of problems with ghosts lately…mostly they've been chasing her down and trying to kidnap her, some of them just bother her more than normal…"

"Why didn't any of you tell us?" Maddie sounded slightly offended and more than a little worried, "I'm disappointed Jasmine, you should have come to us immediately young lady."

"Well," and here she winced, knowing that things were about to get interesting. There was no way around Danny's part in the story, "That's the interesting part, Mom…that ghost kid, Phantom…he noticed Sam's problem and has been helping her out."

"What?" both Fenton elders exclaimed, their worry turning to shock, then swiftly back to worry again.

"No, he was being nice," Jazz rushed to explain more thoroughly, following her parents as they rushed up the stairs with several odd pieces of equipment in their hands, "He kept fighting ghosts off for her, and keeping her safe…and then tonight, he found Danny so that he could bring her here…It turns out she's been attracting ghosts because she's some sort of battery…"

"Jasmine," her father's stern voice was not often directed towards her, "You should have told us much sooner so that no ghosts would get involved."

"They already were Dad," Danny cut in as they made it to the kitchen, where the teenage trio were sitting at the table waiting, Sam sitting closer than normal to Danny, "Sam's been attracting ghosts for a few months now…it just got really bad tonight and Phantom didn't think he could handle it alone any more, so he brought her here. He found out why she's been having the problem too."

"Jazz mentioned something about a battery," Maddie pulled a small scanner from one of her pockets and began to calibrate it to read Sam's signature while she talked, "Do you know more than that?"

"Yeah," he nodded then blew out a breath, "Remember Undergrowth and how he took over town and had a queen, but none of us could really remember it?"

"Yeah," his father nodded, "Didn't want to eat veggies for weeks after that one!"

"You and me both," Tucker nodded.

"Anyways," Danny stubbornly forged on, glancing at Sam as he spoke, "You've got the queen he chose sitting right here apparently. Phantom told me that he found out she was being controlled completely, and in order to do so Undergrowth had to put some of his ectoplasmic energy into her. Apparently after Phantom defeated the other ghost, the power stayed and started to grow every time Sam encountered a ghost, which considering that Amity Park is ghost central, wasn't hard to do."

"So she's retained another ectoplasmic creature's energy?" Maddie pointed the scanner at the girl and pulled the trigger, "Fascinating."

It looked very similar to the Ability Reader that had been used on him, and Danny thought over whether or not it was a miniaturized version his mother had created. Sam shivered beside him, and thought that perhaps it was.

"It seems that you are some sort of holding cell for this energy," both Maddie and Jack studied the screen, looking concerned and glancing at Sam with sympathy every so often, "I don't know how we didn't notice before."

Three snorts were heard as Danny, Jazz, and Tucker tried to cover their laughter and Sam simply sat and bit her lip. They were fairly oblivious to things…and apparently to the fact that they were clueless as well.

"Well, something's gotta' happen," Jack reached up and scratched his head, thinking hard on the subject. Many things in the world could confuse Jack Fenton, but he knew ghosts well, and could be quite intelligent on the subject when things were pressing, "Since she's a holding cell maybe some of our equipment can remove the energy safely from her?"

"That might work," Maddie looked over several of the tools they had brought up with them, "What about this miniaturized version of our dream catcher dear?"

"That would be perfect," Danny's eyebrows raised as he watched his father expand the tiny web and swiftly pass it over Sam, "Did it work?"

'No,' Danny thought glumly, somehow knowing that the energy was still safely situated in Sam and not ready to come out for just ectoplasmically based equipment, 'It wants something else to find it…'

"No Jack," Maddie sighed as she scanned the girl again, "It's getting harder to read it, but it's still very obviously there. It appears to be hiding from us the more we try to remove it. The energy seems to be going dormant almost…"

"That's it!"

All eyes turned to Danny as he stood quickly, knocking over his chair and a remarkably bright smile plastered on his face. Of course, as soon as the boy had done it, he backed down considerably, smiling nervously at his parents while preparing for the oncoming protests, "I just mean…if it's ghost energy and ghosts are after it…then maybe a ghost should be the one to take it out of her?"

Jazz and Tucker both understood his explanation immediately and nodded their approval, but his parents were aghast, horrified of the idea of letting a ghost get that close to Sam, "No, young man, we are not going to even consider that option."

"Mom," Danny protested, moving around the table and making a sweeping gesture at all their tools, "If we already know that none of this is going to work, why are you going to try it? It's wasting time and I don't want Sam to be attacked anymore. What if I'm…er, Phantom's not around to protect her? What if we can't get to her in time?"

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Maddie shot back, her arms on her hips as she frowned at her youngest child, "Danny, we can't exactly walk up to a ghost and ask it remove this energy from Sam. It would probably turn into a free for all."

"I'm not saying just _any_ ghost," Danny swallowed his nerves, "I'm saying a safe ghost. Someone who's already saved Sam and hasn't been causing trouble lately. As far as I know…he's actually helped the council come up with their 'friendly' list of entities…"

"You want us to ask that punk, ghost kid?" Jack's eyes couldn't have been wider, "Danny, are you forgetting that we're Fentons and we hunt ghosts?"

"No," the young man shot back, all eyes bouncing between him and his parents as they argued, "but you and Mom both said that you could be wrong. That he could be alright as far as ghosts go, and he did give you the Wisconsin ghost, _and_ he hasn't been bothering you or anyone lately."

"Probably because he's too busy taking care of Sam's problem," Tucker smirked, getting in a shot at his best friend, who just glared back, promising a world of hurt later, "Or I could be wrong."

"Listen, I know you don't want to just invite a ghost into your house, but think about it," Danny implored, knowing that he had almost won when his mother sighed and frowned, and his father started to nod his head, "Besides, you'll be right there if he tries anything."

"It would probably work," his mother began, trying to give merit to his idea, but still reluctant, "but lets exhaust our other possibilities first. It will be a last resort."

"I…I don't feel too good all of a sudden. I'm gonna' go to the bathroom," Danny said pointedly, finally giving up in frustration and deciding to just take matters into his own hands, "Why don't you guys go and sit in the living room or something and talk?"

Shuffling after him, with his parents worried about his drastic mood change, the Fentons, one Manson, and one Foley settled themselves in the living room, Sam on the couch between Jazz and Tucker, with Maddie and Jack standing and talking about other options. Only a few seconds passed before the temperature dropped and Maddie and Jack began to nervously look around.

Sam saved his butt just before he materialized by glancing around, asking, "Phantom?"

"Heh, yeah," he appeared beside the couch, causing his parents to tense slightly, "I'm here…I figured after I dropped you off I should hang around…and then I thought I might as well come in, 'cause you're closer to the portal in here."

"How…?" Maddie looked around, expecting the machinery to pop out and start ripping up the house at his appearance, "Our security systems…"

"Are just fine," Phantom rushed to assure them, blushing as he did so, "I…heh, I tweaked them a little the other day so I could get in and out of the portal and all that. The only thing they'll fire on now is that stupid Pla-um…Wisconsin ghost. But that's not the important thing right now."

"As much as I hate to agree with a ghost, he's right baby," Jack turned his head slightly, never taking his eyes off the ghost's form, "Sam is sorta' in number one priority position right now."

"I know," she sighed, not lowering her gun for a second as the ghost was still in their presence, "What do you propose?"

"Um…nothing?" the halfa shrugged, not sure what he even could do, "All I know is that Sam has that energy in her and all the ghosts want it. I don't even feel it usually…but there've been some weird things that would happen when I was around her."

"Such as?"

"Well…since I've been around Sam I heal a lot faster, and when I'm right next to her I heal even faster than that," Phantom looked confusedly over at the girl, who gave him a weak smile, encouraging him to continue, "Sometimes I feel stronger too, like I could hold a shield for longer periods of time or stuff like that. I even mastered a new power tonight, and I think it was because I was around her."

"What power was that?"

"That's not really important," Danny patiently shook his head, pointing to Sam, "We have to do something about her, or it's only going to get worse. I'm strong, but even I can't keep up with all the ghosts that have been coming lately."

"Well, it seems fairly obvious that you're reacting to the power somehow," Jack pointed out, "You're stronger and you heal faster around her, so that means that it will allow you to use it."

"Which means he can get it out of me," Sam finally spoke up, moving to stand a few feet away from the ghost, "How does he do it?"

"Presumably," Maddie shrugged, moving closer with her weapon still drawn, "He should be able to feel it and manipulate it. All ectoplasmically based entities can."

"So just…reach for it?" Phantom looked thoroughly lost, inching towards Sam as he examined her, "How? I've touched Sam before and nothing's happened, I've used my energy around her before and nothing's really happened, so how am I supposed to do it now?"

"Wait a second, ghost," his mother called again, "Stop where you are. I am going to stand on one side of you, and Jack is going to stand on the other, and if you try _anything_ I will have no remorse in blasting you into a thousand tiny pieces, got it?"

Danny mutely nodded as his father grinned madly, "Man that is hot."

"T.M.I.," Tucker complained as both Jazz and Sam sympathetically, and silently, agreed.

"Oookay," Phantom shifted nervously with Sam right in front of him, feeling at odds with the girl being there, watching him at the same time as his parents were. If he could, he would pull her into a hug, reassure her that things would be fine, but as it stood, he sent her a nervous wink, then reached behind him to where a thermos was strapped to his back, "Hey, catch."

The thermos made its way into Tucker's hands, surprising the boy as a look passed between the two.

'Do it if you have to,' Danny was telling him, begging him with his eyes, 'If anything goes wrong…if the power changes me. Do it.'

"So what do I do?"

"You should be able to feel the energy that Sam's body is holding," Jack frowned as he watched, thinking over the gesture the boy had made by tossing Tucker the thermos, 'He knows that he can be dangerous…that was a very smart thing for him to do if he really doesn't want to hurt anyone.'

Maddie's thoughts were running along the same line as she watched the ghost boy confusedly stare at Sam, looking her up and down as if searching for the energy like he could see it, 'He gave over the thermos just in case…impressive, not to mention unusual. He's something of a conundrum, and I do love a good riddle…'

"Um, I still don't get it," Phantom pulled back slightly, then paused, thinking over the kiss he'd shared with Sam on the roof and how _different_ it had felt. Holding onto that memory, he stepped slightly closer, intense green eyes focusing on her own as his mouth fell open slightly, 'I feel it…how could I have missed this?'

It was there, swirling in the air around her somehow now that he'd pulled it to the surface by use of his memory of the feeling, and though he couldn't see it or smell it or anything along those literal lines, he could _feel_ it somehow. It was instinctual almost, and it was a terribly raw and heady energy, speaking of great power as it entranced him for a moment, "Wow…"

He was so breathless that Tucker had to fight back a chuckle as Sam blushed under his burning stare, feeling as though he'd undressed her somehow as he continued to keep his eyes locked on her form, hungrily watching her as he finally felt what all the other ghosts had, 'I hadn't noticed it before, because I was only interested in Sam, the person…not Sam, the battery. No wonder they were after her…'

A nervous chuckle escaped his lips as he licked them, glancing up at his mother and father, then back over to Tucker, nodding his head, "I feel it now…I hadn't noticed it before, but now that I'm looking for it…it's like I pulled it to the surface or something, just by trying."

"That's probably exactly what just happened," Maddie dropped her gaze for a second to pull up the scanner and go over the girl again, "We're reading the ectoplasmic energy stronger than we did before even…the level of energy is amazing."

"How can a human hold so much energy?" Jack wondered aloud, then frowned as Phantom started laughing, startling them all at the giddy sound, 'Is it effecting him already now that he's pulled it up?'

"You have no idea old man," Phantom's eyes were burning brighter now, and were slightly out of focus, and Jack and Maddie both leveled their guns at his head, "But I'll fix it."

"Da-Phantom," Sam swallowed hard, trying to bring his attention back onto her, which she wasn't truly sure she wanted at the moment. It needed to be done though, as the sooner she was relieved of this the better. Danny's eyes met hers and she burned in them, wondering at just how brightly they were glowing and whether this had been the best decision or not, 'Is he alright? What if this is something bad for him? What if something goes wrong?"

Fearing the worse, Sam called his name again, his eyes snapping back onto hers as a gentle smile played around his lips, calming Sam somewhat, "It's now or never, Phantom."

"I know," the halfa grinned slightly, "I feel a little funny though…keep that thermos on me, alright Tuck?"

"You got it," the boy took the cap off and kept it carefully trained on Danny, "We're a go."

"Roger that," Phantom teased back, and then laughed at Jazz's distressed look over how much he was acting the part of Danny and not Phantom while in front of his parents. At that point though, Danny didn't much care and was feeling rather strangely, laughing softly to himself, 'I bet this is what it feels like when you're drunk.'

The goofier Danny started to act in front of her, the more Sam started to worry again, though it was more for his mental state than for herself and everyone else in the room. He was acting a bit too loopy at the moment and Sam just wanted it done, 'I bet he's just stalling because he's not sure what's going to happen.'

One last time, Sam met Phantom's eyes, green to violet, and she came to a quick decision. Her hand snapped out and caught his own, just as he took a deep, greedy breath in, pulling the energy more towards him. The sudden contact stunned him before he felt it all coursing through him, from her to his body and he _pulled_ as hard as he could.

A wicked sounding laugh filled the air as one gloved hand clutched Sam's smaller hand tighter and tighter, drawing her closer as he pulled the leftover remnants of Undergrowth's energy from the young woman. Light began to gather around them in a greenish tinged glow as the ectoplasmic energy condensed at Phantom's coercion, starting from Sam and where the pair's hands were connected and growing in strength to where it was nearly blinding.

It wasn't too much that one had to look away though, and both the Fenton family and Tucker looked on with growing horror as Phantom's pupils finally dilated fully, his smirk grew into a sinister smile, and the laughter died off as he leaned down closer to Sam, looking like the cat that just ate the canary.

Sam, to her credit, stood quietly through it all, holding hands with one of the most powerful ghosts Amity Park had ever known. She didn't flinch, nor did she bat an eye at what was happening. She simply held on and smiled back, having faith all along and thinking something along the lines of, 'I was a fool to ever doubt him then. I'd be worse to doubt him now.'

"Two words," Phantom ground out above the feeling of the pure ectoplasmic energy roaring through him and Sam and around them, "Too. Easy."

It was easy to say, that at that particular moment in time when the light _did _becoming blinding, when the dull roar surrounding them burst into a cacophony of noises, when Sam simply stood still, trusting in Danny with all her heart, that all went to hell.

Or so, to the untrained eye or the unfaithful heart, it appeared.

Sam smiled as she disappeared inside the glow, eyes closed as she hoped for the best. Things would turn out as they were meant to. They always had and always did. There were no coincidences in life.


	16. Energy

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: So…I kinda', sorta' disappeared for a couple of days here…sorry about that. The first couple of days were due to a project that is due this coming week. Then we lost the internet in my building. That was uber frustrating for me, and I'm sure I've made you all very impatient. I can only hope that this chapter makes up for it. Love you all and thank you for the patience!

PS-I've created a new forum to people to go and speculate about things on if you wish. It's open to anything, so go and have fun, but please remember to be polite. Thanks. :D

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Sixteen: Energy**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Well damn,' Danny thought, looking over the scene before him and feeling a bit disjointed, 'That has got to be the coolest thing I've done in a while.'

And indeed, it was rather interesting, especially to those who stood watching the ghost with the shock white hair and the burningly intense neon green eyes.

'That was a lot of energy,' the halfa admitted to himself, a thoughtful look sweeping over his features as five very concerned faces peered at him, 'I guess I know why so many ghosts were after her now…I didn't really think it was that much…but considering what just happened, I guess I've been proven wrong…'

The entire living room looked rather queer, Danny noted, when one was laying up against a wall, upside down as it were. Scrunched up, as well, he noted as he began to feel just how uncomfortable his position was, with his legs hanging down in front of him, his head turned sideways against the floor and his arms at odd angles as he lay half up against the wall, half against the floor, 'Halfa as a ghost, halfa in position…what'd ya' know?'

A chuckle escaped the shocked ghost as he peeled himself off the wall and tumbled forward, shaking his head and trying to shuffle his thoughts back in order while he sat. He'd felt the energy, Sam grabbed his hand, he pulled it out of her, grinning like a maniac from the high he was on and probably looking pretty scary, 'Oh shit…'

Looking up in a panic he found his parents staring at him, stunned. Not at all the guns-in-the-face reaction he'd thought might happen. In all, things were turning out well…

Then, of course, he gave a little cough, which turned into a miniature ghostly wail and knocked his parents and Sam off their feet and moved the coffee table a bit. He began to rethink his optimistic outlook, quickly clapping his hands over his mouth, 'Got knocked on my butt by Sam and then proceed to knock her over with a cough…that's kinda' funny.'

A chuckle escaped Danny again as he smoothly rolled to his feet as the other three did the same, though the halfa reached up to feel his hair standing on end as though he was standing in some sort of static electricity field or touching a Van de Graaff machine. He imagined it looked pretty funny, or maybe even painful by the sympathetic eyes Tucker and Jazz were both shooting him. Everything looked much too bright, he noted as well, suddenly realizing that his pupils were probably dilated, which would make him look rather crazy. Just another thing to add to the list of him looking like he was suddenly mad with power, 'But I bet I look cool.'

Indeed, Sam was tilting her head with a raised eyebrow, giving him a rather cute, not to mention _suggestive_, smirk that he just couldn't resist. Locking eyes with her, he gave her the most rakish grin he could muster while moving forward slightly and wiggling his eyebrows twice for good measure, "So…if that's what a handshake does, what's a kiss like?"

The grin that Maddie and Jack interpreted as wicked was seen as pure mischief in the eyes of Jazz and Tucker, who were both laughing in relief while Sam stood blushing from the roots of her hair and down her neck, shooting Danny a dirty look as she tried not to laugh as well. She settled for licking her lips and grinning instead, which prompted Danny to move forward, only to come face to face with a frowning Maddie.

"I think you should leave," she suggested in a tone that demanded compliance. Her feather's were ruffled at the ghost's blatant disrespect towards her son's claim on the girl and everything in her that was a mother was demanding that she defend her boy, "Danny would not be happy if he heard that."

"Oh you never know," Phantom tripped lightly away, partially walking in the air and teasingly winking past the woman's shoulder to where Sam stood with folded arms, trying her hardest to not give in and grin again at his antics, "But I gotta' run."

A cocky salute and the ghost was gone, leaving five alone in the room with the chill dissipating. Tucker and Jazz rushed Sam as soon as the halfa left, grabbing her into a two sided bear hug with much laughter and many words of relief passing around. Tucker even went so far as to tease her lightly about what had happened, stating that he'd like a handshake one of these days.

He was smacked on the back of his head by both girls, and soon they were joined by Maddie and Jack. The older Fentons checked her over finding no trace of ectoplasm anywhere near the girl. They were both amazed at the results and began to furiously search for paper and pen to write notes on, talking out loud the entire while about the incredible display of power and control they'd witnessed. If Phantom had worried them before, then at the very least he'd risen in their eyes respect wise and proven himself trustworthy.

Though in Maddie's eyes he'd do best to keep his grubby, ghostly paws far away from Sam after his little comment.

It was a novel thing to hear his parents exclaim their more kind thoughts on the 'ghost kid' as Danny came down the stairs, walking a little more stiffly than should have been normal. His parents immediately credited it to his not feeling well and wondered at what had taken him so long. Jazz and Tucker knew far better and drew back as Danny beat a direct path to Sam, looking her over carefully with fully dilated eyes.

He was trying his hardest to walk because it was almost too easy to just float or fly now.

"Are you alright?" the boy asked breathlessly, a hand reaching out to run over her arm and pull up the hand he'd held seconds before, "Your hand…?"

"It's fine," Sam lightly squeezed back, leaning in to whisper as his parents were starting to calm, "You didn't hurt me Danny, you just held on for dear life…at least until you went flying across the room."

"Yeah," the boy was losing his focus, glancing nervously around the room, his muscles spasm slightly every few moments. The fine tremors running through his body had Maddie wondering just what was wrong with the boy and Jack walking over in concern, "Um, hey Dad, what's up?"

"Son," the man's large, gloved hands landed heavily on his shoulders with a dull thump, for once not nearly knocking him over, "It's okay. We know that you're afraid of ghosts."

The four teens in the room were stunned. Sam surprised herself with a sudden bought of the giggles and turned away to sit heavily on the couch, shaking from the repressed laughter. Tucker and Jazz soon joined her, everyone's relief at the situation finding several outlets, whether by laughter, smiling, or general merriment, which seemed to be the theme with the exception of Danny.

"Oh Jack," Maddie waved him off, running a hand over Danny's forehead and noticing that he felt ice cold to the touch, "Oh, hon, you _are_ sick aren't you? Run upstairs, Sam will understand."

"No," the young man stubbornly backed away, the tremors still apparent and a developing tick below his right eye coming into sight, "I should walk her home. She's probably tired…right Sam? I'll walk you home."

"Uh, sure," Sam stood shakily, "My parents don't know I'm here…and I'd better beat them home."

'They're acting suspicious,' Maddie sighed heavily, hoping that the two teens were planning on anything too intimate, "Danny, Sam? Before you go can I talk to you on the porch?"

"S-sure," Danny sputtered, licking his lips and constantly glancing between Sam and the door, "Let's go talk."

"I'll call tomorrow man," Tucker waved, "And can I borrow one of your games tonight?"

"Sure, whatever," Danny waved him off distractedly. He didn't notice Tucker run up the stairs, or the fond smile Jazz sent over him and Sam before she too walked up the stairs. Jack was too absorbed in scanning the entire living room, busily taking notes and making conjectures under his breath. Maddie was still waiting.

"Danny," Sam opened the door and stepped out, motioning with her head for him to do the same, "Let's go outside and talk, okay?"

He was nervous, jittery, and quiet. Maddie took it all in and couldn't give all the credit to his sickness. Then again, it couldn't all be because of ghosts, 'He'd gotten over that I thought…I don't understand what is going on with those two. Sam was the one who went through the ordeal, why is Danny acting like he just did more than she is?'

"So, Mrs. Fenton," Sam swallowed hard, starting to react to Danny's nerves and displaying her own as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt, "You wanted to talk?"

"Kids," Maddie heaved a sigh, then smiled as she watched Danny turn to Sam, gently taking her hands from where they were twisted in her shirt. A look passed between the two, a silent sentence, a memory, _something_ and the mother was all the more convinced that she needed to hand over a few words of wisdom, "I know you two care for each other very much. I'm just worried that the reason you two want to get to Sam's house so fast is not…that it's not the best reason. I don't want you two doing anything rash. You're both very young still…"

"Mom, is this a sex talk?" Danny blanched, turning from Sam immediately and dropping her hands, "We haven't…we don't…uh…"

"Danny and I aren't intimate, Mrs. Fenton," Sam was always there when he needed her and Danny silently wondered at what he had done before her, "We…er, we kiss, but not anything past that. I really am tired and I think Danny's just been really paranoid about everything lately."

"It still doesn't change the fact that you just went through a very serious situation," the older woman shook her head, trying to ignore the pained look crossing Danny's face, "Things could get out of hand, emotions could run high…"

"I think the only emotion running right now is nerves," Danny chuckled, uncharacteristically smirking and holding his hands up as for show, "I mean, that whole thing that happened…and then…just wow."

"Danny, I really don't think you should be going anywhere honey," Maddie reached out, only to find him smile and shake his head.

"I'll be home later, I promise," Danny turned and grabbed Sam's hand, ending the conversation rather abruptly, "And we won't do anything we'll regret, or inappropriate, I promise that too."

"Danny," but she was cut off by her son tugging his girl down the steps and walking away at nearly a jog, forcing Sam to try and keep up with him, 'What is going on?'

"Um, bye Mrs. Fenton!" she heard Sam shout before they turned a corner that Maddie _knew_ was not the way to Sam's house. She was alarmed for a few seconds, various thoughts and scenarios running through her head, when she heard Sam laugh and saw her gently pushing the boy back out onto their street and leading them in the right direction.

"Geeze Danny," Sam lead him forward with her hands on his back, "You'd think you'd never walked to my house before."

"I wasn't going to walk," the boy huffed, then reached around and brought Sam beside him, "Tired?"

"Beyond."

"I'll get you home quick."

Maddie sighed heavily as she let a smile steal across her lips. Perhaps her fears had been unfounded after all…though there was that one statement.

'What other way did he think he'd get to Sam's besides walking?'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

A few moments later, the couple reached the corner where Danny was actually suppose to turn to take Sam home, the girl chuckling tiredly as Danny paused and planned out his next move, 'He's acting like he's drunk or something. God, he'd make a funny drunk…'

"Hey Sam," and the boy was right in her face, grinning and leaning in closer, "Wanna' fly with me?"

'That was rather a rhetorical question, now wasn't it?' Sam smirked to herself as the halfa swept her up into his arms and jumped, not bothering to change as the light could draw attention, 'Not that a boy holding a girl and you know, _flying_, won't attract any.'

"Danny," Sam shouted over the wind, gripping the front of his shirt as tightly as she could and trying not to think about how fast they were really going, "Danny, what are you doing?"

"Flying," the halfa grinned wickedly as they passed over the park. Dipping down in his flight, Danny ducked into a few trees, weaving his way around them at top speed and finally changing into his alter ego as he ducked and dodged, giving Sam a heart attack in the process, "It's great!"

He nearly crowed as he burst back into the cool night air, letting his grip on Sam's legs go and holding onto her by her waist. He leaned over then and held her below him, making them face to face with the wind whistling past and pushing their hair straight back.

Danny, in the form of a ghost, had never felt so alive; his laughter echoing across all of Amity Park as he raced towards Sam's mansion, breaking his previous speed records, flying loops and rolling, and expending himself on one of his favorite pastimes.

In the normal ten or fifteen minutes it would take to walk to her house, eight minutes to run, or four and a half minutes to fly, Sam found that they'd already looped Amity Park twice and were now coming up on her window, full speed.

"Danny!" was all she managed to squeak out as she let go of his shirt and pulled her arms up over her face, bracing for impact. The pins and needles feeling of intangibility swept over her, setting her to shivering in Danny's arms as she found them suddenly still in the middle of her bedroom.

She was shaking from the rush of the incredible aerobatics display she'd been apart of, her nerves slipping away as she felt Danny's arms move from around her. One settled back around her waist comfortably, pulling her closer as the other ran gloved fingers over her bare arms, his face a mask of an emotion Sam wasn't entirely familiar with when it came to him.

"Sam," the boy leaned in, gently inhaling as he rested his head against her hair.

"You shouldn't scare me like that," she halfheartedly hit his shoulder, wincing when it only caused him to pull her closer. His breath was racing across her ear and the side of her neck, making her wonder if Maddie Fenton had been right where it came to her son.

"How do you want me to scare you, Sam?"

It threw her off for a moment to hear his voice lowered that much, the husky quality of sensuality that sometimes seeped through his tone amplified somehow by the stillness of the room and the words that accompanied it. Sam shivered again, though for a different reason.

"I had to do something to burn off the energy," Danny started to explain, not letting her step back from his grip when she tried, "I was so….jittery. It was this major power rush, Sam. You've got no idea…"

"So you gave me a heart attack?"

"That was just a bonus."

'What does that mean?' Sam finally managed to pull back from her halfa a bit, taking in the sight of Danny Phantom in all his horrific glory holding her in her bedroom, 'It _did _do something to him…oh dear God.'

"Danny," Sam pulled away even more, then froze instantly when he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. His lips lingered for a few moments and Sam thought that perhaps she'd forgotten how to breath.

"Don't worry," Danny breathed heavily against her neck, "It was just…it wasn't too much, just a lot. It didn't hurt, it's just hard to keep it all in Sam. It feels…different to be like this."

"To be like what?"

"There's so much I want to do," he shook his head, then winced as she bopped him over the top of his head, "I didn't mean it that way!"

"It sure sounded like you did," Sam rolled her eyes, then melted into a grin as he kissed her neck again, tenderly laying his lips on her skin in the lightest of touches, "And you sure are acting like it too."

"I'm just feeling…a little more ghostly than I should."

"How?" Sam questioned the boy, and instantly felt something snap into life in the air. The energy that had been apparently hers for so long was now singing around Danny, crackling in the air as she had seen happen before, though this was more of a controlled frenzy than the past times, "Danny?"

Lips crashed against her own and Sam was pushed backwards, her back roughly thumping against her wall as Danny pinned her hands to her side, his grip vice-like and almost enough to make Sam wince. She could feel his lips curl into a smile as another kiss bruised her lips slightly and Sam finally did wince, making a keening noise as she drew in a sharp breath.

Whether it was from pain or passion though, she couldn't tell in that moment.

His lips moved from her own, traveling down her jaw line, down her neck, down her shoulders, and Sam was alarmed at the sudden intimacy between them. She had missed him, dearly missed the physical aspect of their relationship, but they hadn't progressed much past kissing and this was starting to move things to the extreme.

Something which Danny normally wouldn't do.

"Danny," her first plea came out sounding as though she wanted more from him, and he willingly obliged, cold hands running up her arms from where he'd pinned her and leaving burning trails of ice on her skin, "No, Danny, s-stop."

"Sam," he groaned against her neck, his hands stilling to grip her upper arms tightly, "I…"

"You, what?"

"I need this," he said fiercely, jerking his head up to press another violent kiss to her lips, eyes flashing with too many emotions.

"I want to…to possess something," he breathed out as he stole more kisses from her lips, willing her to understand, "I want to…do things that a ghost would want. I _want _an obsession, I _want _to possess what's mine, I want things I can't have."

"Danny," she let one last kiss pass between them, pulling her hands up and placing them on his chest, "Stop. Please."

He jerked back then, shaking his head as his body once again shook with tremors from the mass of energy inside of him, "Sam…I just…you're not a possession. I know that, I'm sorry, you're not a thing…"

"I know."

"You're just," he brought a hand up to her face and sharply inhaled when she leaned into his hand, letting the material on his fingers roughly smooth over her skin. He leaned in as well, placing a soft kiss on her jaw, just below her ear before whispering to her, "You're just as close to an obsession as I've got. I don't think I'd make it without you Sam."

"I don't just want to do something with you Danny, just because you're high on energy and feeling 'ghostly'," Sam let her voice stay soft, trying to help him calm down as his other hand ran up and down her arm, soothing them both through the steady motion.

"You're not an obsession though," the words tumbled from his mouth as he rushed to explain, "You're Sam. I really think I…I mean, I like you so much. I care for you, Sam. I _care_ for you."

"I like you too," Sam pulled back and met his green eyes, letting herself be the outlet he needed for just a moment more, "I care about you Danny."

"I don't just want…_that_ from you," Danny blushed and backed up, tapping his fingers against his left thigh as he stood, his other hand going directly to the back of his neck, "Oh, man. I can't believe I just did that…"

"If it's any consolation," Sam grinned, then looked off to the side blushing, "I really didn't mind it so much. Just warn me the next time you suddenly feel like pinning me to a wall…"

"Sam," Danny winced, trying to keep himself calm as he felt more and more enclosed by her room with nothing to spend his energy on, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," the girl shrugged, giving the cringing boy in front of her a pointed look, "You stopped when I said to. Most guys wouldn't do that, even when they don't have super human strength and ghost powers and can get away with it."

"I'm starting to get really antsy again," the halfa glanced around her room, thinking hard on what he could do that didn't involve kissing the daylights out of his girl, no matter how badly he wanted to. She was tired, the lines and shadows around her eyes speaking of that, and she was probably mentally and physically drained from everything that had happened that night.

She didn't deserve to be a tool he used to expend his energy on, but she was something that he could expend his energy for. A plan blossomed in his mind just as Sam stepped forward and placed another, much softer, kiss on his lips.

A groan ripped from his throat as he pulled his head up and back, surprising them both. Danny laughed and backed away slightly, blushing and grinning like a fool. Sam wasn't in much better a condition, though the grin on her face was more a self-satisfied smirk that she could make her halfa have such a reaction.

"You really shouldn't do that," Danny teased, backing away more as he did so. He was determined to follow through with his plan, which offered the best and safest way to expend the excess energy he could feel coursing through him, "And I really need to go."

"I'd rather you stay," Sam stepped forward, following him towards her window where he stood a foot above the ground, raising an eyebrow and grinning roguishly at her statement. She simply rolled her eyes and reached up for his jumpsuit, pulling him back down to her level as best she could, "I just mean I don't want you going out and doing something stupid."

"Like getting into a fight?" Danny asked humorously as he pried her hand loose, "Because I _never_ do that, huh?"

"You know what I mean," Sam growled out as she took a swipe at him with her other hand, sorely disappointed when it was caught and held as her other was, "Don't be a jerk."

"I'm not," he shook his head, "I'm kinda' trying to prevent that."

"Just….just be safe."

"I will, I just need to do something," Danny pulled both hands up to his lips, kissing the back of each lightly, lingering for a few seconds as he took in the feel of his lips against her skin, "It'll be okay."

"Okay," she nodded and slipped her hands from his, rolling her eyes when he bowed in the air in front of her, "Try not to be too dork-ish though when you're doing it."

"I'll be fine," he rolled his eyes as he backed through her window, giving her one last smile and wave before turning away, "I promise."

'I hope so,' Sam watched through the window as he raced off across the sky, heading for town to do only he knew what, 'Please be safe…'

Sam fell asleep that night easily, slightly confused over what had happened between her and Danny, slightly worried that he'd do something idiotic in his current state, but feeling lighter than she had in several months. Her skin still tingled from the ice trails his fingertips had left on her, the searing heat of his kiss balancing out the cold sensation of his hands. It was a moment that Sam would not forget, and one she held dearly in her heart and mind for the rest of her life.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Tucker hadn't wanted to leave the Fentons right away, his thoughts over everything that had happened still turning over and over themselves. Besides that, he also didn't want to run the risk of crossing paths with Danny and Sam before he was sure enough time had lapsed. They'd had such a hard time with one another lately that he didn't want to ruin their chance for just being together.

He only hoped that Danny and his hyped up, jittery self didn't ruin anything either.

It was a good forty-five minutes later that he finally trudged from Danny's room, game in hand. Jazz was just returning from the bathroom, freshly changed into her pajamas and giving him a friendly smile as he passed. He smiled back as well, relieved that everything had worked out so smoothly.

After so much thought going into what could be wrong, what could happen, and what could be done, it had been as simple as Sam taking Danny's hand while he actively looked for the energy laying dormant in Sam. He would never have guessed it to be so easy, and the two words spoke by Danny flashed through his mind and made him chuckle. No wonder Danny had been laughing. For the first time, something had been, in Danny's own words, "Too. Easy."

Tucker shook his head, realizing that their situation hadn't been as impossible as they'd thought before. A loud burst of laughter from over head drew his attention to the form of Phantom, streaking across the sky faster than he'd ever flown before, grinning from ear to ear as he swooped and swerved, played with his energy in his hands, never once letting the delight fall from his face or the relieved laughter end.

Where he was off to, and without Sam, Tucker could only guess. Time would tell though, and so, with a far less heavy heart and extremely tired body, Tucker continued home, tossing the unused, unneeded thermos up into the air, catching it as it fell. Up, over, catch.

Up, over, catch.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

The clock was reading three seventeen when Maddie finally gave up and retreated upstairs to her bedroom, where Jack had gone a few hours before to rest, urging her to do the same. There was so much data to check over tomorrow, he'd cajoled, they both needed to be in peak shape. She simply said she'd be up after Danny got back, to which Jack had nodded, a concerned frown falling over his face as he lumbered off.

Danny had been so different the past few years, and both parents had noticed. They just hadn't really known how to approach it. With Valerie, the relationship had seemed safe, but with Sam…there was so much between the two that Maddie knew it had to be filled with passion. The passion to protect, the passion to comfort, the passion to just be with the person you cared for, the passion to love.

She wasn't quite ready to give her baby boy up yet, but Sam was steadily winning him over.

'Perhaps,' she thought as she slowly made her way up the stairs, 'Perhaps it is time.'

Her thoughts lingered over this, knowing that no matter the protests they'd made they had probably been intimate in some form or other, especially since they'd just been through such a shock. It was just something that happened in human nature. You lived and you loved, pulling closer to a person when comfort was needed.

Stopping at the top of the steps, a realization passed over Maddie that night, pulling a wry grin to her lips. If her son had shown up right after he'd dropped Sam off, that should give her reason to worry. It would mean their relationship was not as strong, not as stable as Danny needed it to be. He needed what Sam offered.

He would stay with Sam, for at least part of the night, if not all. Maddie let a tiny smile pass over her lips, though it was bittersweet, as she realized how intertwined her son's life was becoming with Sam's. He was growing up, and perhaps it was time to let him.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

At four that morning, Sam felt something soft and cold brush over her face, immediately placing the feeling as Danny's gloved hands as she pulled herself back into the conscious world. He was just hovering at the side of her bed, smiling softly down at her. A wink and a quick kiss and he disappeared from her sight, leaving Sam smiling up at her bedroom ceiling and wondering just what had gotten into Danny that night.

Turning over as soon as she felt the chill fade from the room, Sam fell back into sleep, pleased that he hadn't just left to fight or burn off the extra energy. He came back to check on her, and for some reason Sam couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps he'd been doing so all night long.

She fell back into sleep with a smile on her face, which greatly pleased the boy just outside her window. Grinning, he turned back to where he'd been all night, thinking over the surprise that awaited every person in Amity Park. It was sure to make the news, and for once, Danny didn't care.


	17. Conclusions

_**The Art of Science  
**_By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

_A note_: AH! Finally I am back! Too many excuses and too little time! And this is the end! Amazing isn't it? You've all been so amazing and I can't believe how quickly I got this story written!

And enjoy you guys. This chapter ties up a few loose ends, and opens some more possibilities as summer draws to a close.

Don't forget that this story was more about stressing Sam and Danny's relationship to a point. Next arc will not be about their relationship either…I mean come on, I'm naming it the 'Art of War', lol. Not that it won't have tons of DxS moments. Don't forget to watch for the third arc, a fourteen chapter mini-series set between AOS and AOW, and:  
_**Please note that I am taking a short vacation from writing over the next two or three weeks or so, so that I might plan the third arc out more fully. It might take a while, but don't lose faith. I'll be back soon!**_

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

**Chapter Seventeen: Conclusions**

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Jazz?" Maddie called as she opened the door to her room, "Did Danny ever come home last night?"

"Um, I don't think so," the young woman sleepily sat up, trying her best to keep from chuckling over her mother's concern, "but I don't really blame him. I wouldn't want to be away from my significant other after something like that either."

"I know," Maddie shuffled over and ruffled Jazz hair fondly, "I'm just a mother though, and mother's tend to worry."

"Why don't I get up and give them a call?" Jazz offered as she slipped out of bed, pulling her mother along with her, "They probably just passed out on her couch watching T.V. or something knowing those two."

"Alright," Maddie conceded, "but if he's not home by lunch, or anything that isn't supposed to be happening is happening, I'll have to threaten him severely and deal out some form of punishment."

"You do that, Mom," Jazz laughed as she headed over for the phone, "You do that."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"M'ehlo?"

"Sam? It's Jazz."

"Why are you so happy?" Sam got out as she cast a glance at her clock, "It's eight in the morning. In the summer."

"I'm just a generally cheery person," Jazz shrugged on her end, trying not to laugh as she imagined the faces that Sam must have been making, "Why aren't you more happy?"

"Because I was asleep, and now I'm not," Sam pointed out tiredly, not really upset with Jazz, but curious as to why she was calling, "Which brings up the question; 'Why am I not still asleep?'"

"I was just calling to see if Danny spent the night there," Jazz laughed, figuring that's probably what happened and waited for the sputtered denials and rushed explanations, but found herself confronted with a quiet and confused, "No."

"He didn't spend the night?" the older girl needed clarification, just in case she'd heard wrong the first time around, "As in, he's not there now?"

"Um, no," Sam sat up and shook her head, worrying a little over the fact that Danny hadn't returned home at some point in the night, "He was here for a while, then said he had something to do. I did wake up at about four and he was here, but he left again after that…"

"So he's been out all night," Jazz glanced quickly towards the kitchen where her mother was probably starting on breakfast, "Well…he needs to be home by noon, or at least call Mom so she doesn't chew him out too badly. She thinks he spent the night there with you."

"Oh God," Sam laughed humorlessly to herself, "And after the talk on the porch…"

"Which was?"

"A sex talk," Sam nearly choked at having to admit it, though she supposed it was only fair, "We didn't do anything though!"

"Ah, there's the denial and rushed explanation I've been waiting to hear," Jazz teased, then said something away from the mouthpiece, "I've gotta' run, Sam. I'm glad that everything worked out."

"Yeah, you and me both…and a few other people too," Sam sighed heavily, "If I see Danny I'll try to send him home. He was in a weird mood though, so no promises."

"Gotcha'. Bye Sam."

"Bye," Sam answered, then quickly pushed the off button on her cell, thinking over where her halfa could possibly be at. Curiosity was getting the better of her, and her need to move overrode her desire to stay in bed. Getting up and dressing quickly for the day, Sam moved over to her television to see just how heavy the ghost saturation was predicted to be that day.

'Wouldn't be surprised if they all suddenly disappeared for a while,' Sam laughed to herself as she sat on the edge of her bed, watching the weather man report mild levels of ghosts for the next few days. They weren't all gone, but it was close enough for Sam.

"In other news, related to our ghost forecast today, Lake Candice was found mysteriously frozen this morning. It appears that the lake is frozen solid a good ten feet down, making it a perfect skating rink as several have already discovered," Harriet Chin was announcing, shuffling her papers as several pictures scrolled across one side of the screen showing what she had been describing, "We would currently be giving you a live report on location, but any electrical equipment that comes close to the lake and isn't a photographic camera seems to stop working. Obviously this is the work of a very powerful ghosts, and many a speculating that our very own Phantom is responsible. It appears that no matter the temperature applied to the ice that it won't melt, supporting the theory of ghostly involvement."

Sam didn't need to hear anymore as she shoved on her boots and grabbed a jacket. It was probably going to be a very cool, if not cold, morning where she was heading.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Oh man, Mom," Tucker stretched as he lazily sat up, scratching at his head with one hand and searching for his glasses with the other on his nightstand, "Do I have to get up so early? I was up so late last night…"

"That's enough whining out of you Tucker Foley," he felt his freshly laundered clothes fall on his bed from his mother's arms, "You were out way past curfew young man, I don't care that your best friend's girlfriend was possessed by some ghost something and they had to figure out a way to get rid of it. You never finished your chores like you promised."

"It was an emergency," Tucker stressed, finally getting up and picking out a fresh shirt and pants to wear for that day from the neat stacks in front of him.

"Uh huh, but you had all day," Mrs. Foley's finger waggled in front of his face and Tucker knew he had lost, "If you had just done like your father and I had asked and done your chores, I wouldn't have given a hoot if you'd stayed out all night helping your lost twin's ex-roommates dog's owner's sister get rid of a ferret that was terrorizing a ball of string."

"Alright, Mom, alright," he chuckled good naturedly and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek, grinning as she smiled brightly at him, "I promise next time I'll finish all my chores before a disaster strikes."

"Don't get smart with me, child," she called over her shoulder, teasing her only child fondly, "And get your room cleaned up; I won't tell you again."

"Yes, ma'am," the young man saluted, pulling on his shirt for the day and heading for the bathroom, "Right away ma'am!"

The first thing that Tucker did, after doing the obligatory hygiene thing, and of course jamming his red cap onto his messy hair, was stand wondering in front of the door to his room. He was certain, absolutely certain he had left it closed.

'Creepiness to the max,' Tucker shuffled into his room, grabbing a stray item here and there, tidying up as he went as his mother had asked, 'I hate it when stuff moves and I didn't do it. I never know if it's a ghost or I'm just getting old or what.'

"Man, I hate it when ghosts mess with my stuff," the boy huffed, shivering all of a sudden and glancing to the side as a bottle of soda suddenly began to shake, frost spreading across the inside of the bottle, "Crap…"

Reaching out to his left, Tucker slowly pulled the Fenton Thermos off of his nightstand, glancing around cautiously as he moved, sizing up the situation. Few ghosts were cold enough naturally to cause ice to form, and even fewer could control it. Narrowing his list mentally, Tucker figured he was in for either a really boring fight or something he was totally unprepared to face.

"Danny?"

"What Tucker?" the voice echoed around the room as a rather freaky chuckled rolled from nowhere, setting Tucker's nerves on edge, "What's wrong? Afraid of a ghost?"

"Dude, this isn't even funny," Tucker narrowed his eyes at the room in general, scanning for any little sign of where Danny could be. With the way he was acting last night there was no telling what he was up to or how exactly he was feeling, "Where are you?"

"Right here," Tucker felt himself shoved forward and as he went stumbling across his room, tripping over various items which he should have already cleaned up and cursing himself for not listening to his parents, he ripped the lid off of the thermos, whipping around to find Danny staring in shock at his best friend, holding up his hands in desperation, "Wait! Tuck, no…"

"What the hell?" Tucker spread his arms and took the thermos off of Danny's form who visibly relaxed and heaved a very relieved sigh, "What is your problem, man? You nearly gave me a heart attack, especially after that little show last night!"

"What, like I'd do something?" Danny frowned heavily, settling himself on the edge of Tucker's bed, "You know me way better than that Tuck, if I haven't done anything by now then why in the world would I?"

"I dunno'," the other boy sat heavily in his computer chair, clearing his throat as he tried to get over his scare, "Because you're devious?"

"Yeah, but you gotta' admit," Danny's hand slid to the back of his neck, a smile quirking his lips, "I got you good."

"Hardcore, man," Tucker shook his head as a grin slid across his own lips, "It's on now. You're gonna' get it one of these days now."

Reaching across the gap separating them, the boys bumped fisted hands, knuckle to knuckle, laughing at how ridiculous the previous night had been and generally making fun of one another for their own actions; Tucker's nervous reaction pitted against Danny's drunken display…if one could call it that.

"Man, I really didn't know what to think about how you were acting," Tucker admitted after the teasing eased up a bit, "Seriously, you were creeping me out for a while there. The laughing and that wicked grin you get sometimes, it was seriously freaky. Jazz even looked a little bothered by it for a while, and I was alright at first, when you came back downstairs…but you were still acting weird…and I was a little worried about Sam."

"Sam can take care of herself," Danny flushed a bit, remembering what had happened the night before. It had been strange, stuck in a type of limbo between wanting her as something he could draw energy from, scare, and possess, while at the same time wanting her as any guy would want their girlfriend. They hadn't been able to have time alone for most of the summer and it all came bubbling out with the aid of the overly powerful energy pulsing through him and influencing his actions, "Trust me on that one. Sam's not a pushover and she snapped me back to my senses pretty quick when...well, you know."

"That's good to hear," Tucker nodded, thinking over his walk home, "I was sorta' worried about the two of you…"

"I think we're okay," Danny admitted, though worry flashed across his face and Tucker took notice of the strain in his voice and the blush that crept across his cheeks, "I mean, we didn't really talk much last night…"

"Oh," Tucker got out as he blew out a deep breath, "Um…not that you'd ever…I mean, did you…with Sam?"

"No," Danny shook his head, blushing brighter at his best friend's question, "No, like I said…she…she snapped me back to my senses pretty quick. I just sorta' left before I did anything I'd regret and we never really got the chance to talk. I was hoping I'd catch her today."

"Got a lot to sort out, huh?"

'How does he always know things like that?' Danny shot his friend an odd look and nodded, standing and stretching as he listened to Tucker's mother shouting about Lake Candice from down the hall, "Sounds like I made the news…"

"What?"

"Tucker! You have to see this," his mother's voice could be heard from the living room, "That lake on the edge of town, Candice or whatever, it's completely frozen! In August! They think it was a ghost or something, but it looks like everyone's having a good time down there."

"Oh," both boys rolled their eyes at his mother's happy tone, Tucker leaning back in his chair, "So I guess you had fun last night."

"Eh," the halfa shrugged, glancing around, "It was something to do and it helped get rid of some of the energy. It was making me feel…a little different. More ghost-like I guess."

"Like I couldn't tell by the sudden need to scare your best friend half to death this morning," a wry grin was plastered on his lips as he looked towards the window where Danny had moved to stand, "I'll bet you twenty bucks that Sam's at the lake…if you want to catch her."

"I am so not taking that bet," Danny grinned as he melted out of sight, "You already know you'd win it. Oh, and uh…I spent the night here, okay?"

"You got it man," the boy laughed, knowing full well that Danny hadn't slept at all last night.

"Later Tuck."

"Later man," but Tucker didn't know if Danny had heard or if he'd spoken to thin air. Chuckling, he picked himself up and headed towards the living room where his mother was still watching the television, taking in everything that Danny had done last night, 'He really outdid himself this time…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

The air was growing cooler, a light tingle of something otherworldly settling upon her skin as she neared the lake. Maybe, she thought to herself, she was becoming more and more attuned with the spirit world because she'd been carrying part of it around with her for so long. In any case, there was definitely a feeling of the ethereal about the landscape in front of her.

White washed the entire area, making green grass shimmer with ice, tree leaves sparkle with a frozen shimmer, and snow…everywhere there was snow. On trees, benches, the ground, every possible surface it could cover around the lake was covered. A virtual fairytale wonderland of ice and snow that seemed to be holding well against the beating sun that effected every area of town but here.

'It's cold enough,' Sam slipped into the light jacket she'd brought with her, zipping it halfway and shoving her hands into the pockets for the extra warmth it might provide. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were starting to turn a cheery red, and every second felt more and more like a dream, 'This is…amazing.'

It had taken her a good forty minutes to make it across town to where this particular lake lie, most of it spent walking with people who were heading to see the spectacle as well. They had talked the entire way; some murmuring to themselves, but most talking animatedly with those around them. Sam was surprised to find herself talking as well, keeping the secret of just what had happened to herself and feeling a rise of anticipation the more she heard others relate.

Lake Candice, in all its glory, was really nothing more than a very large lake, situated on the edge of Amity Park. It was like a miniature Lake Eerie, and closer to home, making it perfect for parents to teach their children to fish at, and for skating during the winter months…

…or possibly even the summer months with a little help and influence of the ghostly sort

Sam stood thoroughly impressed, watching children dance past her in the blinding white. Everywhere it was sparkling with white and crystals, though it all looked very haphazardly placed. Piles of snow off to one side, slide-like ice banks where most of the populations was playing at the moment, a completely frozen lake top, and enough ice in some places to make it a little dangerous to try walking.

Sam walked there anyways, feeling daring. Danny had made it, so why shouldn't she risk taking the walk across the slippery surface?

"Ow," Sam glanced around as she moved to stand, rubbing her sore backside as a wince and chuckle forced their way out of her throat, "That's what I get, I guess."

"You know," a hand appeared, helping her stand easily as Sam once again got her footing on the ice patch, "You could get a free tour, but if you just want to walk around and fall on your butt all day, then by all means, be my guest."

A smile passed between the young man and young lady, many older couples smiling at the action. It was significant, yes, but more so than anyone else could have known. Sam accepted his hand, standing steadily beside him and not releasing it. It was just one of the many gestures that would slowly, but surely, repair the damage that their relationship had suffered. There would be no more rejection, of any type, if Sam could help it.

"I'd be your guest either way, as this is your doing," she whispered mischievously, eyes sparkling as she saw the tiniest flash of green in her halfa's blue eyes. Both laughed and moved carefully off the ice, walking towards the edge of the snow where it seemed to be the tiniest bit warmer.

"So?" Danny questioned as he turned to look around, his hands making a small sweeping gesture to the scene in front of them. He was begging for her attention, blatantly fishing for a compliment, but he didn't really care so long as she continued to talk with him. After his little display last night he wondered if he might have scared her off.

"Danny," Sam lay a gentle hand on his arm, giving him the tiniest of smiles before turning to lean against him, "It's amazing. How is it not melting?"

"I just make it not melt," the halfa shrugged, tugging her back towards the grass to sit so they wouldn't land in the damp snow, "I definitely have enough energy to throw at it, and there was plenty of water in the lake for me to use. It really isn't that hard to make things _not_ melt. I'll probably sneak back here tonight when everyone's gone and melt it all. I really don't want to have to keep any more focus on it than I am."

"That's probably a good idea," Sam nodded, then reached forward, scooping a generous amount of snow into her hands to play with, marveling at the radiating cold that wasn't dissipating.

"Hey Danny?" Sam glanced over, watching the boy who was reclining slightly with his arms stretched out behind him.

"Hm?"

"Think fast."

A snowball was planted firmly in his face, snow dribbling down the back of his shirt and sending shivers skittering across his body. It took a full second before he realized that he'd just been attacked and retaliation was in order. He'd been planning on talking with her, here where it was so peaceful, but that could wait. There was revenge to be had, and his current target was running away to gather more ammunition. That just wouldn't do, "You're in so much trouble Sam!"

"That's what you think!"

A full scale snow ball war was instigated and nearly half the people at the lake were involved before ten minutes was out. It was certainly shaping up to be a glorious day.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Mom!" Jazz's voice echoed down the hall and up the stairs, catching Maddie slightly off guard as she sat on her bed folding clothes, "Danny's on the phone!"

"Coming!" Maddie sang back, rushing down the stairs for the phone, worry over where he possibly could have been and why he hadn't called sooner, 'He'd better have a really good reason and he'd better be okay or I think I might just kill him…he never stays out all night.'

"Danny?" her voice was slightly breathless, relaying the nervousness running through her, "Where have you been young man? Are you alright? Jazz said Sam had told her you didn't spend the night there…"

"Whoa, Mom," Danny sounded worried as well, though more for her at that moment, "Calm down, it's okay. I'm still in one piece and I didn't do anything illegal or that I would regret. I didn't spend the night at Sam's because I knew you didn't want me to, and I didn't come home because…because I had a lot to think over…and I ended up over at Tuckers."

"Oh," the woman let out a heavy breath, wondering why she hadn't thought to call there, "And if I ask Tucker if you were there…?"

"He'd say yes," she could hear the eye roll in his tone of voice and smiled despite herself, "Um, you aren't too mad are you? I know I should have called, but I didn't want to wake you up if you were already in bed."

"Next time, call," she injected as stern a tone as she could in her voice, knowing that if the message got across to him now, it would always be there, "I don't care what time it is or if you wake me up, just let me know you're alright."

"Yes, ma'am," her son answered quickly, and sincerely, pleasing her to no end, "So…would you be mad if I asked if I could stay out today and get something to eat with Sam?"

"Is this a 'date-type' thing?"

"Um…probably," Maddie could just picture him standing there with a phone in one hand, the other sneaking up to rub at his neck, "So can I?"

"As long as you make it back here by dinner, then we're fine," Maddie sighed into the phone, wanting him home much sooner, but knowing it would only push him away if she demanded it, "Why don't you invite Sam?"

"Sounds like a plan," Danny answered, sounds of him waving off Sam as she tried to ask what was going on coming through to the mother listening on the other end, "I'll be home after lunch sometime. Love ya' Mom."

"Love you too sweetie, and I'll see you then."

A click and Maddie gently returned the phone to its cradle, a small smile on her face as she closed her eyes. Relief was quickly followed by a sense of nostalgia, 'If only I could have found a way to keep him my little boy forever.'

With a wistful sigh, Maddie moved off to finish her morning chores. She'd raised a wonderful young man, and watching him grow, though sometimes slightly painful, was amazing. She only hoped that she had taught him well enough to aid him on his way…though she certainly wasn't about to tell him everything.

No…because that meant that there would always be things he'd come back to ask. Advice he'd need from his parents. Reassurances only a mother or father could give. Sometimes…sometimes there were perks where children were concerned, and this was definitely one of them.

Continuing on with a smile, Maddie made the most of her morning, deciding then and there that it was high time she and Jazz had an afternoon out together. It was a beautiful day to investigate ghostly happenings at the nearby Lake Candice, after all.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Suzie?" Vlad Masters peered through one of the many doors of his lush mansion, making his way from room to room, hall after hall as he searched for his missing assistant. He'd never admit it, especially when Danny was in hearing range, but it did get slightly lonely from time to time, and Suzie was always excellent company, 'Well, Ms. Florence, if this keeps up, I shall have to be highly disappointed…'

"Mr. Masters?"

"Ah, Ms. Florence," Vlad turned to look into the kitchen, which he'd already passed many times, "I've been searching for you. Your cell phone was not on."

"Um, I'm sorry Mr. Masters, I was on a short break," the young woman looked between the older man and the sandwich she had been making on the counter, a maid and a chef chuckling quietly to themselves as they continued their chores, "Was there something you needed?"

"Whenever you are through with your lunch my dear," he plucked a stray white hair from his cat from the collar of his jacket before continuing, "Whenever you are finished, I require you help me plan a trip to the Fentons'. It is time to start the acquisitions that I talked to Mr. Sutherly about earlier this year, and I require all the necessary paperwork be taken care of by him personally before I leave."

"Of course," Suzie sneaked another glance at her lunch with a slightly anguished look, before dutifully throwing out a suggestion, "If you'd like I can get started on that right away."

"Nonsense," the man turned, making his way back to his office to continue writing a rather important memo to all his employees and companies, "At least one of us will be having a fulfilling lunch today, while I am strictly on a diet, according to Mr. Perez."

"Of course," the cook called out happily over his shoulder, winking at the young assistant sitting at his kitchen counter, "We have to keep you healthy and crotchety, Mr. Masters."

The maid, who's name Vlad couldn't remember at the moment, twittered prettily as Suzie tried to stifle a laugh. Walking away before he could suffer anymore indignities, Vlad let a soft smile slip. Just because he could be ruthless didn't mean he was always so.

Twenty minutes later found him putting the finishing touches on his memorandum, and Suzie rushing through his door with a stack of papers and her handy date book in one hand and a plate of chips and a double-decker sandwich balanced in the other. A coke was apparently tucked into one of the pockets on her suit jacket, "Don't ask me what I had to do to get this particular lunch for you _or_ all these old documents on previous acquisitions that I knew you'd need. Just accept them and say thank you, or I'll quit."

"You wouldn't," Vlad didn't even turn, but took a chip from the plate that was set beside him, letting it sit in his mouth for a moment as he happily remembered what real food tasted like, "but thank you just the same."

Silence pressed in on the pair for a few moments, though it was by no means uncomfortable. Suzie sat perusing her date book, working out the earliest date that her employer could possibly manage to make his requested trip, as well as a date before the actual trip that he could meet with his main lawyer, Mr. Sutherly. They had many times where both worked separately, though in the same room. Suzie couldn't help but wonder if it was for the same reason that he so often wanted to schedule trips to see his old friends in Amity Park.

"Mr. Masters?"

The question caught him quite off guard, and he nearly spilled the coke that the young woman had set beside him previously. Ignoring the sudden urge to mutter 'Sugar cookies' under his breath, he gave a small nod that indicated she could continue with her question. He wasn't prepared for her to hesitate though and stutter something about it being too personal and to just never mind. It certainly raised his curiosity.

"Please, Ms. Florence, ask whatever it was you were going to," he turned to face her, an eyebrow arched elegantly as he sat with hands folded in his lap, patiently waiting her response, "I assure you that if it is too personal I will tell you and that will be the end of it."

"I was just…," she twisted a pen cap off and on several times before she made up her mind, "Why do you visit the Fentons' so much? I know they're your friends, but what about your family? Other friends? And why so much interest in their son, Danny?"

"Mm," Vlad nodded more to himself than the girl in front of him. It always got to this point with his assistance, and usually he'd end up firing them. Suzie, though, had lasted far longer and had become something of an adopted relative of some sort in his mind. She was smart, daring, and definitely ferocious when it came to something she wanted. She was determined, and thus he saw a small part of himself in her, "As to your questions…they are a bit personal, but I suppose since you've lasted this long, you deserve to know a small part of my story."

Suzie simply sat staring at him, patiently waiting for him to continue sharing whatever he would.

"I was an only child, as were both my father and mother. My grandparents are obviously not living, I have no cousins to speak of, and my mother passed away when I was thirty three. My father disappeared shortly after and I have not been able to locate him…he always wanted to climb mountains, so I believe that he might have taken up that dream."

"So you don't have any family left that you know of?"

Leave it to Suzie to be straight forward and cut to the chase. Hearing it so plainly hurt a small bit, but he couldn't help but smile. No, he had no blood family, but he still had _something_, and he was desperately trying to rebuild what little he had left of it.

"No, and so I turn to my friends," he leaned back in his chair, letting memories that had long eluded him wash over his thoughts. How Jack had always been his steady friend, ready to cheer him on or cheer him up at a moments notice. How Maddie had always been kind and would thoughtfully include him whenever she could. Jack had been the perfect best friend and Maddie had been the perfect girl-next-door, "I could never have asked for a better set of friends, and have, of late, been trying to repair my relationship with them. Money, it appears, cannot account for everything in one's life. Try to remember that."

"Of course," Suzie nodded seriously, knowing full well what a person corrupted by power could be like, 'Alone, paranoid, and unwanted. He was almost there, wasn't he? That's why he knows…'

"As for Danny," Vlad turned back in his chair, indicating that this would be the last thing he would share for the day, "Danny is a great deal like I am, and I intend to make him realize his potential…something he will despise me for, but not regret. I only wish I had someone to push me when I was younger."

Taking it all in took Suzie a moment or two, and before she knew it her boss had finished his 'unhealthy' lunch and stood to move from his office. Picking up her things and the dirtied dish, she obediently followed after, doing a balancing act as she tried to write down the numbers that Vlad Masters was rattling off at her. What they were for, she wasn't sure yet, but she was sure to find out.

Suzie Florence could always find things out.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

It felt odd waking up that morning to the television blasting something about a ghost made ice-skating rink, most people speculating it was the work of Phantom as he seemed to be the only ghost with ice powers who was strong enough to try such a thing. She wasn't sure if she believed them or not, until she caught sight of the news, cameras rolling as they displayed the veritable winter wonderland before her very eyes.

No doubt about it, it had been the work of Phantom…but why?

Ghosts were malevolent usually, though this one didn't quite seem to always function that way. How unusual that he would spend his time and energy on creating this play place instead of wrecking general havoc. Those were the only things that Valerie could focus on as she got up and got ready. It was already eleven thirty, so she figured she might as well start the day.

A Nasty Burger lunch sounded just about right, and so, she quickly headed out and hoped she'd run into a friend or two along the way. Eating lunch alone wasn't exactly on her list of things to do, but with her father at work that day, eating out was probably the fastest and easiest way to go.

She'd go check the lake out personally after that. It was her job after all, self appointed as it may be, to be involved wherever Phantom was.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

The snow bank was the perfect place for planning an ambush, or so Sam thought. Hunched down, she quietly waited for Danny to come around the other side where she had been so sure he was hiding. A snow ball in one hand, and a clump of snow in the other, she leaned a bit to peer around the edge of her snow wall. Finding nothing, she stood and turned back around, coming face to face with the boy in question.

She bolted…or at least tried to.

"Hey! Sam," Danny caught her arm and brought her down into a pile of snow as he fell backwards, laughing as the flakes drifted over them in a soft burst as they landed, "Aren't you getting tired of beating me yet?"

"Never," she grinned back, sitting up and dusting off her clothes, "but I am getting a little hungry. Don't you think it's about time for lunch?"

"Oh yes," the halfa stood, stretching before offering a hand to Sam yet again, and smiling all the more widely when she took it for the second time and didn't let go, "Plus, I have a plan."

"At least one of us does," she stood slightly off to Danny's left, before turning to walk, grinning to herself as Danny fell into step with her. Her mind was racing with the questions she had been wanting to ask all morning, but had put off in the playful atmosphere they had both fallen into. Bracing herself, she decided it would be best to just start the conversation, letting their walking diffuse whatever situation might arise, "Danny?"

"Yeah?" he let his thumb run over the back of her hand, smirking a bit as a blush appeared on her cheeks, "What's up?"

"It's just…I have so many questions," she blurted out, blushing harder as Danny's countenance went from shocked to amused to concerned, "I mean…what happened last night? Not that it was bad, it was just…sudden. Not like you, you know?"

"Heh, yeah I guess that would be the easiest thing to start with huh?"

He'd apparently been anticipating this conversation as well and the hand not attached to Sam's swept up to run swiftly through his messy hair, water droplets from melted snow spraying over them both in a fine mist. Danny smiled tightly, relaxing a bit as Sam smiled assuredly back at him, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"It's two fold," the young man finally managed to get out, blushing as he remembered the feelings rushing through him when he'd finally managed to get Sam safely home…and alone, "It's a ghost thing…and a guy thing, I think."

"Care to elaborate?" Sam quirked an eyebrow, then hurriedly glanced to the side as she realized just what she was asking, 'Oh yeah, I bet he'd love to tell me all his sordid fantasies, if he even has any.'

"Well, it's sorta' like this…and don't hit me if I don't explain it very well, alright?" Danny waited for her to nod before continuing with a blush, "Um, the guy part is sorta' obvious I guess. I mean, I didn't get to be around you, alone, very often, and when I did it was usually helping you out with your ghost problem. Then with the whole, you freaking out around me thing…I guess I was getting sorta' desperate to kiss you."

"I could tell," Sam let her fingertips drift back up to her still slightly kiss bruised lips, trying her hardest to not blush and failing miserably.

"Yeah, um," Danny hurried on, trying to ignore the images she brought to mind right then, "Well, when a ghost gets desperate for something and is either denied it or kept from it for too long, an obsession will start to form, or worsen if they already have one. I've never had one before, unless you count protecting the town or its people, so I guess all that extra energy were just intensifying my um…'ghostly instincts'. Making me pick something that I had been thinking of or focusing on, and since my focus was pretty much just on you…"

"You decided that a good old make out session would be perfect, huh?" Sam laughed, lightly slapping his arm in retaliation for the line of his thinking before continuing the conversation, "I'm not going to just be some obsession. I don't like the idea very much."

"No, no," he rushed to assure her, bringing up his vacant hand to gesture with, "It's not like that. I told you I wasn't gonna' explain very well. It was more of a momentary lapse of…sanity?"

"I'll take that," Sam took a deep breath, knowing full well that sometimes it was hard enough to control your hormones when you were a teenager, let alone powerful, instinct driven urges, "Thank you, again. I've probably thanked you a million times already for various things, but I really do appreciate everything you do. For me and for this town."

"Anytime Sam," Danny let his thumb roll across the back of her hand once again and snuck a glance down to her face, wishing that he could just work up the nerve for even a little peck. After his rather abusive display last night though, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to, 'What if I get carried away again? What if she's unsure now?'

"Danny," Sam pulled him from his thoughts, gently tugging his hand to move him from his previous collision course with a mailbox, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little worried about what you think of me now."

"I think," Sam paused in her thought, though she didn't pause in their walk, "I think you're a wonderful person. I think you're intelligent and resourceful for figuring out a safe way to get rid of some of that extra energy, I think you're good because you realized what was happening last night and stopped, and I think you're brave because you took this on for me, without really knowing the consequences."

Her statements were left hanging, though they certainly were not unappreciated. Danny's hand gripped hers all the more tightly as he took in everything she had said, what it implied about her view of him, and what it implied about their relationship. Giving her hand another gentle squeeze, he eased his hold and stopped walking, pulling her off to the side.

"Danny?"

"Thank you," he leaned to whisper in her ear, before ever so gently placing a light kiss on her cheek, his lips lingering as he took in the warmth of her skin and the smell that was hers alone. The pair lingered for a moment more, caught in one another's gaze. Sam broke the connection first and continued on with a blush, biting back a smile as best she could when a catcall from across the street caught her attention.

Danny caught back up and was elated when Sam snatched his hand. Things were definitely getting better and better where Danny was concerned.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Where did that child go?" Pam Manson wondered aloud to herself as she stood outside of her daughter's room, a few new articles of clothing in hand, 'I was going to make sure she was feeling better and talk to her about excusing herself more gracefully…'

"Is she not still asleep Mrs. Manson?" one of the maids was bustling down the hall and stopped for a moment to speak to her employer, "After she got in so late last night, I would think she'd still be in there."

"Late?" the woman raised a delicate eyebrow, not understanding what the maid could possibly mean, "Samantha left the gala before we did. She should have been home long before ten o'clock."

"Begging your pardon, ma'am," the young maid carefully replied, remembering how she was to address this woman in particular, "I don't mean to get her in trouble, but she couldn't of been home that early. She had to of come in after you did because I was in this hall until almost three in the morning cleaning a very messy stain in the carpet. It had splashed up on the walls and a few draperies as well, so it was taking me especially long to do it. I did see her go down the stairs this morning though."

"I see," the elder woman replied coldly, a frown settling heavily over her face, "Thank you, that will be all."

"Yes ma'am," the maid moved off, troubled lines marring her forehead, 'I hope I didn't get Sam in too much trouble…'

'So, Samantha, you want to skip out on charity events, lie to your parents, and then not come home until well after curfew?' Pam set off to find her husband, the little thought of a punishment for her daughter that she'd had last night now becoming all the more firmly planted in her mind, 'It's high time you take some responsibility and be grounded. I will not have a disobedient brat for a daughter.'

The discussion was short and it was easily decided between husband and wife that punishment was necessary. It was also especially easy to decide on just what that punishment would be. Sam would be sorely disappointed to find that today was her last day of freedom for a while.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"So, lunch at the Nasty Burger?" Sam glanced around as they walked into the building, not noticing anyone they knew, "That's the plan after running around like crazy kids and working up an appetite?"

"Yep," the boy happily nodded towards a booth, indicating that Sam should make herself comfortable, "I'll order…and I know what you want so don't worry."

"How do you know?"

"Sam," Danny rolled his eyes, gently pushing her towards the seat, "You get the same thing every time. A salad and a either a water or a soy milkshake. It's not that hard to figure out."

"Fine, fine," Sam finally moved off, still a little unsure about him buying her lunch, "but don't think I'll let you pay the next time too. This is an age of equal opportunity."

Danny simply rolled his eyes, turning to place his order while Sam grabbed napkins, straws, and a few pieces of silverware. Making herself comfortable, she began to think on how well he seemed to know her, 'He knows what I like…what does he like? He always gets a bacon burger, cheese fries, and…either a Dr. Pepper or a strawberry shake. Ha! I can play that game too, Danny…but that puts us even on the point system. Goth girl thirteen, ghost boy thirteen…'

"What's got that frown on your face?" Danny sat down with their food and drinks in hand, a quirky smile splayed across his lips as he reached out and tickled her arm with the receipt, "Cheer up, it's not like you're the energizer bunny anymore."

"You seriously didn't just say that," Sam pulled her arm back and rolled her eyes rather obviously, pulling a snorted laugh out of Danny, "Danny, we had this talk already. No witty banter for you. You just can't quite seem to pull it off."

"Oh trust me," the boy rolled his eyes as well, though this time it was just a natural reaction, "I'm about fifty times better at it than Jazz is. She even re-named the ghosts once and they all thought she was crazy…until she sucked me into the thermos and then they thought she was funny."

"I remember you mentioning that once," Sam tilted her head, starting to separate their food as she spoke, "back when I still thought you were Pha-"

A loud ringing sounded from Sam's pocket, her cell phone interrupting the conversation just as Danny thought it was getting back on the track of being normal…or at least as normal as any conversation he was involved with could be.

"Hello?" Sam scooted out of her seat, smiling apologetically at Danny, "Hold on Mom. Hey Danny, I'll be right back. Go ahead and eat, this'll only take a second."

"Alright," Danny nodded and off Sam went, leaving the halfa alone at the table. Sam felt bad about it, but she couldn't hear in the noisy atmosphere of the restaurant and headed towards the bathrooms, where she could hopefully hear what her mother had to say.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Sam pulled the door closed, ignoring the echoing quality her voice took on in the tiled room, "I couldn't hear you. What's up?"

"Samantha, we know you didn't come home when you said you would last night," her mother's voice was hard, an edge that Sam found it often when she was in serious trouble ringing out to greet her ears, "Your father and I have already discussed your punishment and we _will_ be having a very long conversation when you get home tonight young lady."

"I was supposed to eat with the Fentons' tonight-"

"Then you'll just have to tell them you can't make it," apparently Sam wasn't getting out of this, even with a social obligation. She was in worse trouble than she thought, "Finish your lunch and then I expect you home. You're going to be grounded until school starts again."

"That's two weeks!" Sam's screech echoed painfully around her for a moment, forcing the young woman to lower her voice, "That's totally unfair, I didn't even do anything!"

"Except lie to me about not feeling well and going home, breaking curfew, walking out on a very important fundraiser, and be rather uncouth about leaving," Pam Manson did not sound pleased.

'When she puts it that way,' Sam sighed heavily, biting her lip for a moment before answering her mother, "Alright, I'll be home. I'm sorry, but something came up last night with a…friend and I couldn't just tell them no."

"Next time, let me know, Samantha, or your father," her mother had softened, worry clear in her voice, "What if something had happened last night and we hadn't known where you were?"

"I'm sorry Mom," Sam glanced back at the door, shaking her head to herself, "Can we just talk about this tonight, I have lunch waiting for me…"

"Alright dear, goodbye."

"Yeah, bye."

Sam turned back to the door and took a deep breath, determined to not let this ruin her afternoon. It was going to be her last chance to spend any time with Danny until school started, and she wasn't about to let her impending imprisonment bring either of them down. A smile firmly attached to her lips, Sam opened the door and stepped out, ready to enjoy every moment to its fullest.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

As Sam spent her time chatting with her mother in the restroom, Danny proceeded with his meal as ordered. He avoided his drink as best he was able so that he would have something to do while Sam ate. He'd ordered himself a strawberry milkshake, figuring that it would make a good drink _and_ dessert. Now it seemed it was going to make a good dessert only.

Danny was more hungry than he realized and polished off his burger disturbingly fast, as well as his fries, all the while monitoring all the activity in the restaurant. It was eerie how easy it was for him to stretch his powers now, a few things feeling odd as he let his mind wander.

The first thing he noticed was a super sensitivity to anything spectral in the area, even the usually non-descript ghosts that couldn't manifest and never caused trouble. He'd never been able to see them so easily, and now, he realized quite suddenly he could _feel_ their presence as well. Almost like the mist that appeared when other ghosts were around, but without the physical materialization.

The second thing he noticed was the amount of energy he still had left. He'd barely used any last night, and that had been quite a shock after he put so many hours into making the winter play land by the lake. He'd been so jittery before hand, and suddenly felt more calm. The longer he was in his ghost form, the easier he seemed to be, no longer feeling as though he were in the wrong skin.

At first he'd thought it was because he wasn't around Sam. Perhaps he hadn't taken all the energy or something about her being the carrier for so long acted as a catalyst to his behavior. Returning at about four that morning had proven his theory wrong. He'd simply watched her sleep for a while, then ran his fingers over her cheeks, marveling at how cold he was compared to her warmth.

She'd woken then, and he worried for a brief moment that something might happen, but a sleepy smile was sent his way and he couldn't resist winking at her and kissing her lightly. He'd left soon after that, worried that she would be exhausted the next day…though so far she seemed to be fairing well enough.

The energy was still there, blatantly noticeable to himself and any other ghost strong enough to feel it, but subdued now. It had been rather wild while in Sam's care because she hadn't even known about its presence. He, on the other hand, realized that as soon as he started using it, he had started to tame it and reshape it to be apart of his own store of energy. The more energy a ghost has, the easier it is to get energy from the world around them. Ectoplasm was, after all, alive and very much a presence in the physical world. People just didn't notice it because only ghosts were effected by it.

Instinct was dictating that this wasn't something that would just fade over time or through use, and that was the most intriguing part for Danny. It could mean so many things, the halfa thought as he flexed his hand and sent the salt sliding across the table to his waiting palm. Glancing around, Danny thankfully found no one watching and set the salt back in its proper place. This was going to take some getting used to.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Alright Nasty Burger,' Valerie smiled to herself as she walked through the door, 'Let's get some lunch.'

Heading to the line, which was abhorrently long now, the young woman spared a moment to take a look around, catching sight of Danny sitting in one of the booths alone. A cute smile was splayed across his face, his eyes twinkling in some hidden delight as he sat a salt shaker back on the table's end. Valerie just chuckled to herself at the odd moods Danny could fall into and turned to focus on what she wanted to eat. It was nearly her turn to order and she needed to figure out what she wanted quickly.

She never noticed the bathroom door across the restaurant open or the girl who soon joined Danny at his table.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"So, did I miss anything while I was gone?" Sam plopped herself back onto the booth seat she'd been on and started on her salad, "You look like you know something that I don't."

"Oh just the usual stuff," Danny grinned widely, lowering his voice slightly as he watched Sam eat her salad, "Realizations about myself, certain powers and how they're _not_ fading, you know. The usual."

"Not fading?" Sam returned, chewing through a bite quickly so she could talk, "You mean all that stuff you did at the lake and it's _all_ still there?"

"Kinda'," Danny looked around, then started talking again while Sam ate more quickly, ready to have this very interesting conversation, "You know when you're a kid, you wear say…size one in clothes? Then you try them on again a few years later, and you're supposed to be a size two and you stretch them all out? Now you can fit in them, and you get used to the way they feel the more you wear them."

"You mean…the powers you got from me made your…storage capacity greater or something?"

"Now how is it that I'm the son of two scientists and you're the one who figures out how to word it so it sounds smart?" Danny teased gently, blushing slightly as she rolled her eyes, "You got it in one though. The energy is still there, and it's making it easier for me to take in the energy around me. Higher level ghosts usually can absorb ectoplasmic energy from their surroundings. That's why they're so strong and they recover so quickly."

"So you're the new energizer bunny," she took her last bite of salad, savoring it for a moment as she thought over her jab to the boy in front of her, "Plus you're suddenly stronger and are staying that way. Bet the other ghosts aren't going to like that."

"It's not like I haven't been getting stronger anyways," the halfa shrugged, watching her finish her meal and wipe her lips clean with a napkin, "The others are just going to be that much easier for me to beat, _and_ I won't have to worry so much when the stronger of the ghosts come around. You have no idea how much easier this is going to make life for me…and the town."

"That's a good thing then, but are there any negatives?" Sam began to pile up the trash on their tray, running a napkin over their table to clean it off for the next person, 'Lord knows the employees don't do it…'

"Um, not that I know of yet," Danny reached for the tray, but found Sam snatched it from his reach and stood, "What? Can't I throw away my own trash?"

"You bought it," Sam quipped as she moved off, "I'll dump it. Fair's fair, right?"

"Right," Danny laughed, then caught the eye of Valerie Gray, who standing at the front and receiving her order number, 'Oh man, now she's going to come over and she and Sam are going to have some horrible stand off…crap!'

"Hey, stranger," Valerie did exactly as Danny predicted, smiling as she sat down with her ticket and a drink in her hand, "Haven't seen you around very much this summer. Can you believe there's only two weeks to school?"

"Not really," Danny nervously glanced back to where Sam stood throwing the trash away, talking loudly to a bus boy about recycling and how they should have bins for different trash, especially papers, "Um…what are you doing here?"

"Uh, getting lunch," Valerie waved her ticket, then sent him a slightly disgruntled half smile, "If you don't want me around, just say so."

"It's not that," Danny's attention was back on the girl in front of him, worried that he'd upset her somehow, uncomfortable with the idea of having a girl upset with him, "I guess I just wasn't expecting to see you."

"Me either," Sam cut in, sitting heavily down on the seat beside Danny and scooting over until their sides touched, "Hi Valerie."

"Hi," the other girl's smile faltered for just a second, her hands falling to the seat beside her and landing on the material of Sam's jacket. Looking down, Valerie realized she'd taken the other girl's seat unintentionally and probably intruded on something, "Oh, um…your jacket."

It was unbearably quiet for about five seconds before Sam sighed heavily and leaned forward slightly, "Look, Valerie, I know that you and Danny dated, and I know that you weren't exactly happy with me when I started hanging out with him. I know you wanted to get back with him at the End of Year Dance, and you probably still do."

"Well, what's it to you?" Valerie shot back, leaning forward as well and casting a strange look between the two, "You two have been on the outs recently, and I really don't think it's any of your business. I can understand if you're worried about your friend, but this is between me and Danny."

"No, it's between me and you right now," Sam shot back, her lips pressed into a thin line in an attempt to keep her cool, "I saw you talking to Danny a couple of weeks ago on the sidewalk when he was going to Tucker's. He'd left something and I was running to catch him up and return it, and I saw you talking around the corner."

"You saw that huh?" Danny nervous chuckle cut into their conversation and was promptly silenced by two glares, 'Right. Boy shuts up, girls talk…'

"We just talked Manson," Valerie indignantly folded her arms.

"Yeah, well," Sam cut a look at Danny, a blush coloring her face before she even managed to get the words out, "I was jealous okay?"

"Jealous?"

The question was echoed between Valerie and Danny, both curious as to what Sam was getting at.

"Yes, jealous. You were flirting with him, and don't try to say you weren't," Sam took a deep breath and felt herself color a little more, though whether it was from nerves or anger she couldn't tell, "And I don't appreciate it when people hit on my boyfriend."

She'd finally said it out loud and Danny was floored, not to mention thoroughly pleased. A slightly dopey grin spread across his face as Sam caught his eyes and they had a quiet moment with Valerie sitting across from them gaping a bit at what Sam had just told her.

'All those times he said he just wanted to be friends, how there couldn't be an 'us',' Valerie sat back a bit, realization sweeping over her as her cheeks darkened with a blush, 'Oh God, I'm not a home wrecker! I just assumed...'

"So, I guess when I say I was jealous I had a pretty good reason to be," Sam could see the shock and weariness playing across Valerie's face. Sam hadn't been pleased with the girl in front of her, but she wasn't a vindictive person either, "You were his girlfriend and from what I've heard you're a pretty good person. I was worried."

"What?"

Valerie had not expected that to come out of her mouth. Sam Manson had every right to be upset with her. She had been flirting with a taken guy, which was a huge mistake in her book, and there Manson was trying to make her feel a bit better. Shaking her head, a wry chuckle slipped from Valerie's lips, "Yeah, well, I'm not a boy stealer, so you don't have to worry. I didn't know…"

"Neither did I," Sam admitted, letting her finger trace a few patterns on the tabletop.

"Well, I guess that's my cue to um…go," Valerie stood quickly, blushing even more heavily at how badly she'd misjudged the situation and the person, "See you two around."

Valerie left in a flurry of embarrassment, not quite sure what the etiquette for leaving such a situation was. She'd already been enough trouble with the social circle of her friends with being so moody when it came to Danny. If they found out that she'd been after him when he had a girlfriend, she'd never hear the end of it, 'Or worse, Paulina will start giving me tips on how to break them up! I am so not that shallow.'

Danny and Sam, meanwhile, sat in relative silence thinking over the strange turns their lives had taken over the past twenty four hours. The unraveling of Sam's mysterious plight, the sudden exchange of powers, making up, the harsh kiss, Danny's use of his new energy, and now the strange showdown between Valerie and Sam. One of the weirder parts was it felt as though Sam and Valerie were coming to some sort of reconciliation, but that was a little much for Sam to think on right then.

It was, actually, almost too much to take in general and Sam suddenly started to laugh, albeit quietly. Her shoulders were shaking from the effort of holding her laughter in and a few moments later Danny joined her, both silently sharing in their mirth.

"Weirdest summer vacation ever," Sam leaned heavily against Danny's side, relaxing against him as he brought an arm up to rest across her shoulders, "Have your summers always been this strange?"

"Pretty much," he shrugged, "If not from my parents, then from ghost havoc. Remind me sometime to tell you about me and Tuck's summer road trip last year. That was one of the strangest things ever."

"Right," the girl nodded, then stood and moved back to her own side of the table, sliding in to grab her jacket, "Not sure I really want to know though."

"Come on," Danny's hand appeared and hauled her up, both smiling at so simple an action as holding hands in the face of how troubled Sam had been just a few days before by the same action, "Let's get going."

The trip from their seat to the door bought Sam time to think, though a sudden question popped into her head quite unexpectedly. She hadn't seen a single ghost since the last fight last night, and that bothered her for some reason. As soon as they were out of earshot, Sam turned to her newly named boyfriend and posed her question, "Danny, how come there weren't any ghosts last night? I mean, with all the energy that went crazy when you grabbed my hand, you'd think they would have swarmed us."

The halfa thought for a moment as they continued on. He wasn't puzzled by the fact that the ghosts hadn't come, as he knew exactly why, but he wasn't sure how to word it, "It was just a transfer of the power, nothing dissipated or was added, so it didn't matter."

"Okay, I know that usually I can understand what you mean, and that you usually really suck at metaphors," Sam frowned, then huffed out a breath to get rid of the hair that always fell into her eyes, "but I think I need one."

"Right, um," the young man reached out with a grin, brushing her hair back into place and relishing the contact of his fingertips on her soft face, "Think of it as two containers filled halfway with water."

"Alright."

"Okay, so if they both have a liter of water in them, then there's only two liters of water in the room right?" Danny grinned as she nodded, "If you pour the water from one of the containers into the other, then one's empty and the other one is full. Still following me?"

"I think so," Sam nodded, glancing sideway up at the boy beside her.

"Good, so now one is full and the other is empty, but," Danny held up a finger, grinning happily at the metaphor he'd managed to come up with, "there is still the same amount of water in the room. There always were two liters, and when you emptied one into the other, there were still two liters. It was the same as the energy. It was my energy and your energy in the room, it just all went into me. No more, no less."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain why there were no ghosts," Sam frowned, trying to understand what Danny was getting at, "Unless…"

"Unless…," Danny mimicked her, encouraging her to continue her thought, "Come on Sam, I know you got this."

"Unless, since it was the same amount of power the ghosts didn't know it was happening?"

"Bingo," the halfa crowed, pulling Sam into a quick, sideways hug and planting a kiss on her forehead, "They didn't attack you _all _the time, especially when I was around. Ghosts have their own signature in their energy, and I guess since they could tell I was there, they didn't think it was worth it to attack you. Plus they didn't know what we were doing, so they didn't care."

"Lucky me," Sam sarcastically stated, "Now you're the only one that has to worry about getting attacked more often, and hopefully they'll leave me alone."

"Hopefully," Danny chuckled, "but on the bright side, they probably won't even realize what's going on. I've pretty much made the energy my own, so they won't know what happened, and you don't have anything left, so they'll have no reason to be drawn to you. It'll probably all seem like some weird dream to them."

"And me," Sam sighed, thinking over everything that had happened and the rather anti-climatic happenings of the night before, "Which, by the way, is good because I'm going to be stuck at home for the next two weeks."

"What?" Danny paused in his walk, cute confusion written across his face, "Why? We've only got two weeks until school starts!"

"I know," Sam sighed, "I've been grounded because I wasn't home like I was supposed to be last night, lied to my parents about going home, and broke my curfew. They figured two weeks was a light punishment and I still have a talk to attend when I get home tonight. I can't hang out with you or eat dinner with your family tonight either."

Sam was expecting an outburst on Danny's part, something along the lines of it not being fair, of them unjustly punishing her, of the injustice of wasting her last two weeks of summer. She was expecting righteous indignation on her part, or at the very least for him to be upset or pout. She was, however, _not_ expecting for a quiet chuckle in a rather seductive, lower octave than was normal to come rolling off of Danny as he pulled her closer and kissed her.

"Seriously Sam," he grinned as he pulled back from his kiss, "I think we'll live. I mean, look who you're dating. It's not like they're going to be able to keep me from spending some quality time with my girlfriend…even if she's locked away in her boy- impenetrable room…"

"You _are _a bad boy in the disguise of a hero, Danny Phantom," Sam dramatically stated as she pulled back from him, blushing slightly at his words and the wink he sent her way, "I always knew there was something off about you."

"Aw, but you still love me," Danny cutely tilted his head as Sam blushed even more at the word 'love'.

"Maybe, but you're going to have to work for that one," and she started off, grinning to herself as she heard Danny chase after her.

"Really? Sam? Sam, come on," he was right behind her, grinning like a fool and matching her pace easily, "Hey, you can't just say something like that to your new boyfriend and then walk off. Sam. Sam!"

She studiously ignored him…

"You know…that kiss was…_delicious_."

…until that. Then retaliation was swift and sweet as she bopped him playfully on the arm, only to find herself picked up and spun around a few times, her laughter and his mingling in the warm afternoon. The sidewalk beneath them reflected the heat of the summer, shimmering slightly from the wavering air. Both of them took little notice though, and that was exactly as it was supposed to be. Summer was a time for fun and relaxation, and they were taking full advantage of that fact, stretching out their time for as long as they could.

It was the best end to summer, and their problems, that Danny could have asked for. Who knew that things could work out so perfectly? Danny did, and so silently thanked whoever had watched over him and his loved ones for the past few years as he paid close attention to Sam on their trip home. It wasn't often that Danny had someone so special to share his life with, and he planned to not let a single opportunity pass him by.

Sam, as she was kissed thoroughly before they parted ways, couldn't agree more. Summer was definitely turning into one of her favorite times of the year…

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"So...this patience thing? I am done learning it yet?"

"Patience, Danni," came the humored reply, a large hand resting fondly on her head as he passed behind her chair, "Patience."

"Right," she huffed heavily, settling back down to watch the show in front of her and roll her eyes at the mushiness of it all, "Patience..."


End file.
